Hyderabad: At a time when there is a raging debate on radiation from mobile towers causing cancer, chief secretary Rajiv Sharma, surprisingly, has declared that cell towers are absolutely safe.While experts have questioned whether Sharma is the competent person to talk about such a complex subject as mobile tower radiation, the chief secretary said, "Cell towers are absolutely safe and all the fears related to it should be allayed by the officials. People should be told that everything is good and safe."The debate on whether or not Electromagnetic Field (EMF) emissions from mobile towers and other devices affect people's health adversely has been going on for quite some time. There have been many instances where people have complained of headaches and anxiety due to exposure to EMF. Some even associate it with cancer.There are also many studies that indicate that long exposure to cellphone and mobile tower radiations are hazardous. A recent note by the Central Pollution Control Board on radiation from mobile towers indicated that these emissions interfere with biological systems. Separate worldwide studies have also concluded that long-term exposure to cellphone and cell tower radiation, on an average of 30 minutes a day over 10 years, leads to an increased risk of brain cancer.However, the department of telecommunications (DoT), in an awareness programme on EMF emissions and mobile towers held in the city on Wednesday, denied any risks. In fact, Dr. R M Chaturvedi, DDG-CS, department of telecommunication, brought out the benefits of mobiles on an individual and societal level.He insisted said that the norms followed by DoT are 10 times more stringent than those prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by WHO. He also announced that the upcoming Tarang Sanchar Portal will help people locate the towers around them and check their compliance level.Dr. Suresh Attili from Grace Cancer Foundation, who was present at the programme, said that there are no scientific studies that conclude that EMF emissions from mobile towers can cause health hazards. He also pointed out that only 1% of the total cancer cases are caused by radiations, that too those like X rays and Gamma rays.Explaining the technical aspects of EMF emissions and mobile towers, V Raghunandan, DDG, TERM, Kerala, also said that the fears are not based on scientific evidence. He added that birds, bees and snakes are also safe from EMF emissions.