Dhaka: In reply to a query about blocking social networking site Facebook, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Shahjahan Mahmood on Tuesday said they haven’t received any directive from the government yet in this regard.

“We haven’t received any directive from the government yet. If the government asks us to do so, we’ll block Facebook,' he came up with the information while talking to reporters after inaugurating the country’s first bamboo structure telecom tower at a programme organised by edotco Bangladesh Co Ltd at a city hotel.

The BTRC chief said they will conduct a survey to determine the radiation level of mobile phone towers in the country.

Mentioning that there is a guideline of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regarding the emission of radiation from mobile phone towers, the BTRC chairman said the mobile phone operators had been asked to follow the ITU guideline while providing licences to them.

Legal actions will be taken against the mobile phone companies if they are found violating the guideline, he said.

Recently, the High Court has asked the BTRC to submit a report on the radiation level of mobile phone towers on April 10. “We’ll submit the report in time,” Shahjahan Mahmood said.

Replying to a query about risk of cancer from high radiation of mobile phone towers, he said, “No complaint has yet been lodged against any mobile phone operator for violating the tolerable level of radiation. However, legal steps will be taken if anyone is found guilty.”