Sunday, January 23 2005 12:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will ask the Health Ministry to study the possible health hazards of the usage of cell phones.

Congress MP Murli Deora, who met the Prime Minister yesterday (Jan 22, 2005) in this connection, said Singh shared his concern and would ask the Health Ministry to study any health hazards related to the usage of cell phones and ways to deal with it.

Deora, on whose PIL the Supreme Court ordered a ban on public smoking, has urged the Centre to initiate a Legislation in this regard.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Deora raised concerns over the health hazards that may be associated with cell phone usage. The medical research fraternity around the world is concerned about health hazards from mobile phones, he said.

"The range of health hazards identified by the researchers till now is alarmingly scary and mind boggling," he said adding "this impending threat renders it imperative for the Government to initiate urgent Legislation".

Deora said the Legislation should make it mandatory for all cell phone companies to undertake research to "unambiguously establish that cell phone usage does not expose users to health hazards".

The Legislation should also ask mobile phone companies to carry a statutory warning, as in the case of cigarettes, prominently on the phones and in all their publicity material pending conclusive evidence one way or the other, he said.

Deora said the Centre should keep a constant vigil on the steps being taken by Governments abroad in the wake of new research findings and implement them in the country without delay.

The Legislation should prohibit cell phone companies from establishing base stations on structures owned and occupied by schools, hospitals and other such public places, he said.

The Legislation should also ban high voltage transmissions from all health care centres and hospitals as is prevalent in the US and some other countries, he said in the letter that has also been sent to Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

He hoped that given the far-reaching implications of the threat, the country's initiative would meet with appreciation from the international community. "We should act before it is too late," he said.

"...delay in action in the case of tobacco already stands as an important lesson to be learnt from," he said seeking early action from the Government so that the cell phone companies are pressed for a suitable action fast.

Deora said that India already faced several major health challenges like combating HIV/AIDS, tobacco consumption, environmental and hygiene related diseases, night blindness from malnutrition and afflictions caused by "Legislation-defying environment polluting industries".

"The cell phone hazard would now seem to add yet another major challenge affecting lakhs of people in view of the phenomenal rise in the demand for cell phones in the country within a short time," he said.