Telecommunications Minister Manoj Sinha on Monday said radiation from mobile towers did not have any adverse impact on human health, reported IANS. He said the regulations against electromagnetic field emissions were 10 times stricter in India than global standards.

He observed that the country needs more mobile towers to provide better cellular connectivity. “We always talk about no call drops, but we do not want towers near our house,” the minister said. “Radiation has no adverse impact on human health. During the last 30 years, the World Health Organisation has conducted some 25,000 campaigns on this subject and never stated that mobile tower radiation has adverse impact on human health.”

Sinha made the statement at an event to mark the launch of Department of Telecommunications’ web portal Tarang Sanchar that will provide information on mobile towers and and whether they comply with the electromagnetic field emission norms. It will also have information about mobile towers in a particular locality, besides the option to get the details via email.

The Union minister said the portal would spread awareness about mobile towers and dispel “rumours, myths and misconceptions” about radiation from them. He also pointed out that the portal will allow anybody to request for EMF emission measurement at a location by paying Rs 4,000 online.

This comes three weeks after the Supreme Court ordered the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to shut down a mobile phone tower in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior after a man claimed he was afflicted with cancer from being exposed to its electromagnetic radiation. This was the first time a mobile tower was shut down based on an individual’s complaint about its allegedly harmful radiation.