by crossriverwatch admin
The Cross River State Government has revealed that it has finalized plans to start dismantling illegal masts and also to penalize any telecommunications company found to have mounted the structure without approval.
In a bid to actualize its objectives, the state government had set up a committee to conduct a structural integrity and compliance audit of all telecommunication masts across the state.
This is coming three months after a mast belonging to one of the telecommunications giant collapsed and killed two persons and injuring many others at a residential area in Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Attah Ochinke, on Thursday in Calabar, the state government said the action was to ensure public safety and sustainable operations by the companies.
It said, “Any mast for which no information is received from the operator shall be shut down immediately by the state government and dismantled as an illegal structure.
“The telecom company shall bear the cost of such dismantling by the state government.”
He said preliminary investigation by government into the collapsed Odukpani mast, revealed that the mast was built on an abandoned refuse dump site.
He said, “The investigation also revealed that poor engineering and construction of the mast were factors that led to the fatal collapse of the mast.
“The state government is therefore determined to take concrete steps to safeguard the public from such incidents in future.”
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