Most buildings in New Town will not be emitting any carbon due to solar panel installations in the next five to ten years, said Sanjay Bansal, managing director of HIDCO on Thursday.
Bansal was speaking at a seminar organised by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in collaboration with HIDCO to promote construction of green commercial buildings, especially in New Town.
Bansal mentioned that the Coal India building in New Town is the first building to have green certification. He also informed that he expects most buildings in New Town won’t emit carbon as solar panels will be installed in the next five to ten years. Former MD of HIDCO, and former Chairman of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), Debasish Sen talked about the ‘net zero’ policy. The ‘net zero’ policy means that in a building no external resources are needed to generate power since a green building will either generate its required power through solar energy or from any renewable energy sources. He also mentioned that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has made it mandatory for Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) for the top 1000 listed companies last year.
He said: “This means they have to reduce carbon emission. In the present context it is more important for companies, especially in the IT sector who work with companies in Europe.” Sushil Mohta, chairman, IGBC Kolkata Chapter and also the chairman of Merlin Group said that Bengal has already emerged as the top five states in India in terms of highest registered green footprints. He thanked civic bodies like Kolkata Municipal Corporation and NKDA for notifying green building incentives. The majority of projects in Kolkata adopting green concepts and embracing green building certification are from the residential sector which is showcasing tremendous growth.
He said: “In order to address the sustainable construction practices and resilience in the built spaces, it is of utmost importance that the entire building sector adopt a holistic green approach. As per environment norm, large-scale activities, including bigger buildings with more than 20,000 square meters, must obtain environmental clearance. Therefore, it is more important for the developers to adopt green
building certification.”