‘Telangana a role model for other States in green building footprint’

Hyderabad Telangana is one of the leading states in India working towards a sustainable tomorrow. The State government has taken a multi-pronged approach to reiterate its commitment to increasing resilience in communities and is leading by example. Till date, the State has more than 721 IGBC-registered projects, amounting to about 112-crore sq ft of green building footprint.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has initiated 29 local chapters across India for reaching out its vision at regional levels with faster penetration and reach, involving the local agencies and institutions in the green building movement. IGBC Hyderabad Chapter is one of the vibrant chapters in the country with various green initiatives across the State.

“Telangana has become a role model for other States in promoting green building footprint. The State government has been encouraging the stakeholders and households in adopting a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. It has been a part of our every green building initiative,” C Shekar Reddy, Chairman of CII Telangana Chapter and Chairman of IGBC Hyderabad Chapter, told Bizz Buzz.

“The IGBC had started its journey in 2001 with 20,000 sq ft of green building footprint in India. Today, it has about 10,932 registered projects having more than 1,000 crore sq ft of green building footprint across the country. Earlier, only corporate offices and commercial buildings used to come for IGBC certification. Later, IT companies, Railways and luxury residential projects adopted the rating system,” he informed.

As the Telangana government is encouraging sustainable initiatives, the adoption of the green rating system is picking up now among both the commercial and residential projects across the State. It has launched Retrofitting Programme to improve the sustainable quotient of industrial parks of TSIIC (Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation) and Cyberabad Zone.

As many as 35 industrial parks around Hyderabad have executed this initiative with the support and guidance of the IGBC. The TSIIC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to take up the IGBC rating for all their future projects. More than 10 TSIIC Parks are proposed to go green. Other upcoming projects in the pipeline include Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and Telangana Martyr’s Memorial.

Telangana Integrated Secretariat Complex, Yadadri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Hyderabad Police Commissionerate HQ and Integrated Command & Control Centre, HUDA Annexe Building, Commissioner of Industries Bhavan and Hyderabad Bhavan are some of the important government buildings in the State that have achieved IGBC green building ratings.

In the built environment sector, all the stations of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project; Secunderabad, Hyderabad Deccan and Kachiguda Railway Stations; and the Rail Nilayam building have received IGBC green ratings, while Capgemini, Dell, Waverock, DE Shaw, K Raheja IT Park Mindspace, Inorbit Mall, Jayabheri-The Peak, My Home Avatar and Aparna Sarovar are few private buildings adopted the same.

The Telangana Cool Roof Policy 2023-2028 launched by the State government is another initiative which aims to make buildings thermally comfortable and heat resilient which in turn reduce energy consumption and lower operational costs. The cool roof is a green building concept, with the objective to minimise heat island effect so as to reduce negative impact on micro climate.

Telangana’s Haritha Haram is a massive tree plantation drive initiated by the State government to increase the green cover, for which IGBC has been an association partner. Under this programme, the government promotes both afforestation and urban plantation, which will help in combating the adverse effects of climate change, Reddy added.

The increased thrust of the State government towards a resilient future is indeed a step in the right direction, and augurs well for sustainable urban development of the country. It was a partner for the IGBC’s 20th edition of Green Building Congress – India’s Flagship event on green buildings & built environment held in October, 2022 in Hyderabad, he said.

The State government is also supporting the IGBC in organising the first edition of Green Property Show on July 28-30, 2023 at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad.

It affirmed the commitment to sustainability. This three-day expo will showcase green residential properties, along with building products and services, facilitating meaningful connections between developers and property buyers.