Abandoned Laqtel tower deemed dangerous

According to Wayne Ali, a resident of the area who lives next to the tower, children have been risking their lives by climbing the height of the cell tower since its completion.

He said the children began climbing the tower when they realised it was abandoned by its contractors. Since then, the children have continuously climbed the tower every other day, in what was described as a foolhardy venture by Ali.

“They are risking their lives every time they climb the structure, and they do not seem to care.

Ali said the cell tower was constructed by Laqtel when the company was conducting negotiations to become a telephone provider in the country. He recalled that contractors acquired the rights to use the land from his neighbour around Christmas in 2005, and began construction of the tower almost immediately.

However, Ali said when Laqtel failed to acquire the necessary concessions to become a service provider in the country, they apparently decided to forget about any responsibility they had in either completing the construction or destroying the tower.

Ali claimed the land on which the tower was built do not have any borders to prevent the children in the area from accessing it thereby creating a dangerous situation.

“grass is growing on the tower, and the children are still climbing on it. When you tell them about it, and let them know what they are doing is wrong and dangerous, they shout back insults at you and curse you.

Since Ali spoke to the children, he claimed they have begun insulting him when they pass him on the road, as well as throwing stones at his roof whenever they climb the tower. Ali was concerned about the children’s behaviour and the safety of those who live in his home.

Newsday contacted the Telecommunications Authority and was told they would look into the matter as soon as possible. TATT informed Newsday, that following their preliminary investigations, they would write to Laqtel informing them of the situation and request that they either remove the cell tower, or place a border around the area to prevent access. They added that there were very few Laqtel towers in the country, since they did not have sufficient time to construct the necessary amount required for a network. They estimated the number of Laqtel towers at no more than ten.

TATT indicated that the procedure will be utilised for the remainder of towers in the country and they will work with Town and Country Planning to ensure something is done to assist the situation.