Howrah Station receives coveted CII-IGBC Silver Rating

Kolkata: In a major impetus to Indian Railways' green pursuits, Howrah Railway Station was awarded CII-IGBC Silver Rating under IGBC Green Railway Stations Rating System.

Howrah Railway Station, the largest in the country in terms of number of platforms, was awarded the CII-IGBC Green rating for incorporating some of the finest green buildings and passenger-friendly features such as installation of station rooftops, water management, mechanised cleaning, no artificial lighting during daytime, solid waste management, fresh air ventilation, universal accessibility, pedestrian friendliness and first and last mile connectivity.

At a programme organised at Howrah Station on Sunday, T K Sain, senior divisional environment and housekeeping manager, Howrah Division, Eastern Railway, received a CII-IGBC Silver Rating certificate and a plaque from Shakuntala Ghosh, Chairperson, IGBC Kolkata Chapter, in the presence of the Mayor of Howrah, Rathin Chakraborty and Manu Goel, divisional railway manager, Howrah Division.

"Howrah Railway Station's achievement will encourage other railway stations and PSUs to go green and in the process, build a greener and healthier India," Shakuntala Ghosh said, adding that CII is working closely with Indian Railways in several green initiatives such as green buildings, GreenCo (Green Companies) and energy efficiency.

"This partnership will go a long way in facilitating meeting the green priorities and priorities set by Indian Railways," she added.

According to Ghosh, with support from all the stakeholders, IGBC is spearheading the green building movement in India. "Today, India, with over 5.27 billion sq.ft, stands No. 2 in the world in terms of largest registered green building footprint. IGBC aspires to facilitate 10 billion sq.ft of green building footprint by 2022 (75th year of India's Independence)," she maintained.