CELL TOWER FIGHT

Legal action and forced removal with Army assistance is promised by the Ministry of Planning and Development if sixteen illegal cell towers around the country are not removed within 28 days of enforcement notices which were already issued by the ministry.

So said Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis yesterday at Town and Country’s Planning and Approval Process held at the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Building in Westmoorings.

Although she was not sure of the period of time which has passed since the notices had been issued, Robinson-Regis stated both Bmobile and Digicel are responsible for illegal sites and were commissioned by the ministry to inform the public of safety issues but they have not complied.

She added the ministry met with officials of the telecommunications companies who agreed that once cell towers were not approved by the National Planning Policy they would be removed by TSTT and Digicel. However when the ministry removed two towers, injunctions were issued by the companies to desist from this action contrary to the aforementioned agreement.

The minister also commented on a demand for a meeting with the ministry to discuss the construction of the illegal cellular sites within seven days made on July 2 by the Association of Radio Frequency Emission Control in Trinidad and Tobago (ARFECTT). Calling the demand “quite preposterous,” Robinson-Regis stated she was confused as to why the association would react in such a manner as the ministry has always been cordial in their correspondence. She said the association was granted a meeting with the Acting Director of Town and Country Planning Sheryl-Anne Haynes whom she believed was the best person to deal with any concern they had. She said association was quite aware of the efforts made by the ministry and they would not “respond to any threats” and advised the association “to make their request via the ministry and not the media.”