Long awaited, the Department of Telecom s web portal for mobile tower compliance ‘Tarang Sanchar’ officially launched today. The portal had been under development for quite some time now and today s announcement marks its official launch. Populated with data from 12.5 lakh base transceiver stations (BTS), Tarang Sanchar allows users to view tower-specific details such as the operator, the supporting technology (2G/3G/4G) and most importantly if it meets electro-magnetic frequency (EMF) compliance norms. Also Read - Vodafone CEO Nick Read to visit India this week; will seek bailout: Report

Mobile tower radiation has been a cause of concern for a lot of people who have citing it as behind one of the causes for causing cancer. While there has been no proven scientific evidence of the same, people have time and again contested the installation of newer towers, much to the ire of network operators who find it difficult to meet the need for seamless coverage. Also Read - WhatsApp users can now file a complaint with DoT against offensive messages

Tarang Sanchar aims to put users concerns at rest by offering a huge pool of location-based data, providing details on how much a mobile tower in a particular location is emitting radiation and whether it is within the safety norms. According to telecom minister Manoj Sinha, the team that will inspect on request will be able to tell which specific areas in your house are getting how much of radiation levels. He further said that the new portal will also identify places with no or poor network coverage. ALSO READ: No health hazards due to radiation from mobile towers: Government

The need to have such a public information portal in place is also felt owing to the number of instances where consumers have moved court on allegations that the presence of mobile tower caused health implications to the extent of death. According to the department s explanation on EMF, the present emissions limits/levels for BTSs are 1/10th of limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO for general public exposure.

Despite network operators, health advocates and ministers time and again allaying fears over radiation, recently the Supreme Court ordered the shutting down of a mobile tower after Gwalior-based Harish Chand Tiwari alleged that a BSNL tower located less than 50 meters from his house, exposed him to radiation that led to Hodgkin s Lymphoma. The ruling is the first time in the country that a mobile tower had been shut on the grounds of health concerns. ALSO READ: Supreme Court orders shutting down mobile tower for causing cancer

With Tarang Sanchar, the government aims to subside the fears of radiation emanating from mobile towers. The telecom minister further pointed out that the Supreme Court order on the tower relocation issue is not final and that people are panicking unnecessarily.

If you want to check the radiation compliance of any tower in your location, you can head to the Tarang Sanchar website and fill in the details such as name, email address, mobile number. Upon verification, you will be able to view tower details with EMF Safety Status.

In a situation when someone wants to get a particular BTS tested by the department for the EMF compliance level, they portal can also serve as a request site. All that you need to do is fill in the pre-requisite data, including your name, email address, and mobile number. It is to be noted that there is a sum of Rs 4,000 which is charged for the procedure of testing. This amount is levied as part of the testing process which is elaborate and takes a few hours involving technical capacity and manpower.