MARGAO: The locals of Curtorim on Tuesday expressed frustration when they discovered that a telecom company was yet again attempting to erect the mobile network tower in the vicinity of a government primary school in the village.
Workers were seen installing the tower with police protection, in the morning hours, but work stopped when a large number of locals gathered at the site.
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Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Congress leader Moreno Rebello and several other local leaders turned up to stop the work.
Speaking to reporters Anthony Peixoto, a local, said that the rules clearly state that mobile towers cannot be erected within a 20 metre distance of schools and residential houses.
It may be recalled that the villagers had earlier thwarted the installation of a tower in a government primary school in Virabhatt, another part of the village, following which the site for the tower had been shifted to Fondegal.
“The people are not against mobile towers, our objection is to the current location. School children and the locals residing in the vicinity will be affected if the tower is installed here. They can shift the tower to some other location which is less populated,” said Peixoto.
Another villager, Moreno Rebello said that they have already filed their objections before the authorities. “We have received a reply from the District Magistrate informing us that the issue needs to be addressed by the District Telecom Committee. Till date, nothing has been done,” he said.
