Mumbai, August 20 Lauding the BMC's efforts to promote eco-friendly housing in the city, State Urban Development minister Rajendra Tope on Wednesday announced that he would pass all the green building proposals sent by the civic administration at the earliest.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The energy-efficient "Metro Bhawan' has been designed by Raj Rewal
Modern Marvel: The Atrium of the new Metro Bhawan in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI: When he envisioned a suitable new office space for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), noted architect and urban design consultant Raj Rewal wanted the structure to be an amalgamation of dynamism, sustainability and energy efficiency. Almost four years later now, DMRC's new address boasts of all three.

All new building plans in the Capital will now be cleared only if they have rainwater harvesting systems installed. Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Jal Board to make installation of rainwater harvesting systems mandatory

Citizens and developers can soon look forward to earning property tax rebates by constructing eco-friendly buildings. The joint-select committee of the state government has approved the BMC's plan to offer incentives and tax rebates upto 50 percent on eco-friendly construction to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Ashok B Lall, Architect

Garima Pant In the time of global warming, it's the need of the hour. We are talking about living spaces which are healthier, energy-efficient and generally don't pollute air, water and land

Many are not convinced about the certification or the manner in which it is promoted, writes K.S.Subramanian At home with nature:Essentially the concept is to be in harmony with nature with good use of cross ventilation, light and water. Chennai has the reputation of holding nearly 68 per cent of Green building space in the country. But not all are totally convinced in the manner green building concepts are promoted, verified and certified

The civic standing committee on Tuesday gave its nod to appoint the Science and Technology Park (STP), Pune as the nodal agency for the execution of eco-housing programme and also to allocate Rs 21.10 lakh for STP, as expenses of conducting workshops and publishing information brochures, among other things. Even though the Science and Technology Park had shown interest in being appointed as the consulting agency and had filed a proposal to this effect moths back, there was some apparent disagreement over fees to be paid to the nodal agency.

As it prepares to transport more than a hundred thousand people between the Capital and its posh but water-starved neighbour Gurgaon each day, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is simultaneously doing

Going green while constructing your house is not about compromising on quality and material. The concept of a green building still evokes doubts and misgivings, writes Jayanthi Madhukar