The government has banned mobile phone towers in school and hospital premises and directed cellular firms to take permission from residents welfare associations before setting up base stations in residential areas, in efforts to limit the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation exposure.

The stringent provisions of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection came into force in May, considering that the three lakh-odd towers across the country expose people to radiation much above the accepted ICNIRP limits of 450 microwatt/square cm.

'Telecom companies must avoid installing base stations in schools or hospital premises as children and patients are more susceptible to electromagnetic fields,' according to the new set of guidelines. It also makes it mandatory for telecom companies to take permission from RWAs to install base stations in residential areas.

Base station antennas should be at least three metres away from a building, should not directly face it and the lower end should be at least three metres above the ground or roof, the report says. It asks telecom firms to 'share resources' instead of installing multiple transmitting towers in the same locality and not to install base stations in narrow lanes to minimise risks caused by natural disasters.