To save lives and property, the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, PPUD, has cautioned banks operating in the state to maintain existing communications masts and towers, warning that it would pull down weak masts occupying airspace in the state.
The General Manager, Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit, UFRU, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who made this call at a stakeholders’ meeting involving banks operating in the state said the measure became necessary, following incessant collapse of masts and towers in the state, damaging property worth billions of naira and in some cases, claiming lives of people and leaving many in critical health conditions.
He said there was need to remind them of the letters written to them to submit the list of all their existing structure for data base, and to be prepared to subject all masts and tower structure to integrity test.
He said it was illegal for any bank to build mast, towers or antennae in the Lagos metropolis without seeking permit from UFRU, the body empowered by PPUD to regulate masts and towers installation in the state.
While calling on the banks to cooperate with UFRU, to enable Lagos government serve the banks and their customers better, he said the whole essence of regulation was to forestall the incidence of mast collapse in the state, which has claimed lives and destroyed property worth billions of naira in the past.
“If the banks failed to pull down their weak masts and towers, UFRU, will embark on such exercise at the expense of the banks as it did in the past.”
In their response, majority of the banks chiefs who were present at the stakeholders’ agreed that to cooperate with the state government in its move to save lives and property in the state.
It would be recalled that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, had last month, held a similar meeting with telecoms operators, who are also involved with masts and antennae for transmitting voice and data services.
Even though telecoms operators also welcomed the development of regulating to save lives and property in the state, they however advised the state government to align with the Federal Government agencies such as National Environmental Standards, Regulatory and Enforcement Agency, NESREA, and others to avoid double regulations and multiple taxation.
Before now, the Lagos State government in May this year had established UFRU through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, to regulate the activities of mast operators, and Internet Service Providers, ISPs, in the area of masts and towers installations.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com