Juhu woman takes up legal battle to get mobile tower removed from building

Deborah Benatter (35), since last one week has been protesting the installation of a mobile tower on her building’s terrace located in Juhu-Koliwada.

Also, Benatter is the only resident in the six-storeyed Ocean Breeze building who has been fighting the battle for removing the mobile tower.

With almost all society members in favour of the tower, Benatter headed to seek the co-operation of residents of nearby Koliwada village. With their support, Benatter sent a letter carrying 120 signatures, to the BMC’s K West ward office urging to raze down the tower.

On receiving the letter yesterday, the civic body issued a notice to the building, asking the society to submit relevant documents to prove the tower’s legality.

According to the society’s chairman Niranjan G, the work has been stopped and now it is up to the service provider Indus, to approach the civic authorities and take it forward.

“I am against putting up the tower atop the building, not only out of concern for my family’s health, but also because there are so many residents living in shanties around the area and there is a school too, whose students will be exposed to high levels of radiation,” Benatter was reported quoting to a city daily.

While the police took action over the complaint against disturbance due to work on a mobile tower, technically they cannot stop anyone from installing a tower until the BMC says it is illegal.

Benatter, originally from France, has been residing in India for six years along with her husband Javed Wani, an Indian businessman. A producer with an Indo-French production company, La Fabrique Films, Benatter and Wani bought the Juhu Koliwada home last November.