While states like Hyderabad, Chennai and others have more than 40 building projects registered for green building certification, Gujarat is lagging behind with only 13 building projects registered for certification so far.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) at Gujarat along with seven other organisations have join hands to work towards making the state more greener. The allied group will hold a seminar at Karnavati club on Saturday to clear the myth from minds of people that 'green buildings' are costly affairs, as well as to impact a change towards green living.
The chairman of IGBC Gujarat, Sameer Sinha said, “There is a need for involvement of developers in the initiatives towards green buildings. The seminar will have a special session where many key people including the builders, promoters, policy makers in the government and so on are expected to participate. We are keen on government's participation in the green buildings initiative as it is the biggest constructor,” said Sinha adding that if the government's constructions are made green it will make a significant contribution towards the ecology. The seminar aims to clear cost misconception among people while also highlighting the various gains that can be derived from it including low-cost maintenance, better working ambience, better health among many others.
President of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) in Gujarat, Jaxay Shah said, “We are looking for a policy to encourage developers towards green buildings. We are suggesting the government to give incentives like tax benefits to green buildings.”
Benefits:Green buildings cost 8% more than a building of the same size and proportion and location
Cost is redeemed within three years from savings in maintenance
Power consumption is lower by upto around 30%
It uses mainly recycled materials
