Jaipur, Oct 28 Rajasthan has more than 750 green building projects registered with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), covering over 230 million square feet, industry representatives said at a summit here on Wednesday.
The figures were shared at the second Green Rajasthan Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and IGBC to discuss green buildings, sustainable infrastructure and ways to reduce carbon emissions from construction activities.
C Shekar Reddy, national chairman of CII-IGBC, said Rajasthan had made progress in green building development but needed to extend such practices to industrial parks, housing projects, townships and public infrastructure.
“Rajasthan has the opportunity to set a national benchmark by integrating sustainability into the very foundation of its growth story,” Reddy said.
He said the next step was to expand green building practices across different sectors and encourage greater participation from the government and industry.
Jaipur Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Jaipur Smart City Limited CEO Om Prakash Kasera said environmental considerations should be part of urban planning from the beginning.
“Sustainability must become the foundation of urban development, not an afterthought,” he said.
Kasera said green buildings, efficient use of resources and infrastructure capable of dealing with changing climatic conditions should be included in the planning and development of cities.
Sunil Jain, co-chairman of the IGBC Jaipur Chapter, said Rajasthan should now focus on sustainable communities, low-carbon construction and buildings designed to achieve net-zero emissions.
He called for pilot projects to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of such developments.
CII-IGBC Executive Director M Anand said green buildings could help reduce electricity and water consumption and lower operating costs.
He said sustainable construction practices should become common across residential, commercial and institutional buildings rather than remain limited to selected projects.
The summit also discussed the use of low-carbon cement in buildings and infrastructure projects.
Representatives from the cement industry, real estate sector, government departments and technical institutions examined the challenges in increasing its use without affecting construction costs and performance.
A separate technical session discussed net-zero buildings, construction materials that could reduce carbon emissions and rainwater management systems.
The summit was attended by government officials, real estate developers, architects, industry representatives and experts in sustainable construction.
(PTI News)
