HYDERABAD: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the Finance Commissions and local bodies to encourage green buildings through various measures including tax incentives. He asked all States to create online portals to provide single window clearance for green buildings. Observing that the implementation of Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) has not been uniform across the nation, Naidu appreciated Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for taking a lead. He was speaking at the virtual inauguration of the 12th GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Summit, organised by the GRIHA Council from Hyderabad.
The Vice President said that India had the potential to lead the Global Green Building Movement and emphasised the need to promote green building concept by both the private and the government sectors. Venka i ah Na idu a l s o launched three e-publications of GRIH A Council namely - 30 Stories Beyond Buildings, Shashwat Magazine, and Version 2019 Manual of the Council.
“Green buildings movement should become people’s movement,” VP said. Quoting the World Green Building Council data, the Vice President said that buildings and construction account for 39 per cent of energy-related CO2 emissions in the world and called for accelerating the process of total de-carbonisation.
He further said, “Our civilisation teaches us to live in harmony with nature. We need to revisit our traditional and nature- friendly house designs refined over thousands of years. Unfortunately, our modern structures are such that no sparrow can come and make a nest in our house. This is not our culture” he added.
Stresses on cool roofs
Opining that the roof cooling should be an area of priority for all, the VP noted, “In India, over 60 per cent of roofs are made from metal, asbestos, and concrete - thus trapping heat inside buildings and contributing to heat island effect in urban areas. Cool roofs offer a simple and a cost-effective solution that can lower indoor temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius as compared to traditional roofs, especially in low-income households and slums in urban areas.”
Revisit traditional house designs: V-P
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said,” Our civilisation teaches us to live in harmony with nature. We need to revisit our traditional house designs refined over thousands of years. Unfortunately, our modern structures are such that no sparrow can come and make a nest in our house. This is not our culture