Think Green: Kolkata CM Tells Real Estate Developers

Kolkata CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee urged real estate developers to think
green. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the ‘Realty Expo 2008’
organised by Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of
India (Credai-Bengal) at the Science City grounds on Wednesday, Bhattacharjee
asked realty barons to concentrate on developing green buildings which
make greater use of solar energy.

The Chief Minister expressed his concerns on Global warming while explaining
the rationale behind the need to have eco-friendly buildings. The government
is considering the merits of making rainwater conservation mandatory
for developers.

The green building has already started taking roots in the city, particularly
in the IT parks arena. A typical eco-friendly building uses alternative
energy sources, such as solar or wind, ensures water efficiency through
rainwater harvesting and also has effective waster management systems
in place.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, India’s largest real estate
consultancy firm, local developers can choose between two systems if
they wish to secure a green rating for their buildings. The first is
the LEED rating system of the Indian Green Building Council, which is
managed by the CII Green Building Centre. The other is TERI’s rating
system termed GRIHA.

A Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj study said that till September 2007, "Chennai
leads the pack in terms of share in the total volume of certified green
building space and also in number." Interestingly, the same study
pointed out that in spite of having only one certified green building,
Kolkata was second only to Chennai with a 15.7% share of the total green
building space.

Some of the biggest names of India’s real estate and construction arena,
which includes the likes of DLF, Unitech and Shapoorji Pallonji, already
have a presence in the state. Foreign giants like Indonesia’s Salim
and Ciputra groups, and Singapore’s KeppelLand too have established
a footprint in Bengal.

Photo: Kolkata skyline as seen from the Maidan, Kolkata, India by Vyacheslav Argenberg, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.