The approach to sustainability document for the National Building Code of India will be ready for release by March 2013, according to Prem C. Jain, Chairman of the CII Indian Green Building Council.

The document is ready and is being circulated to the State Governments, municipalities and other stakeholders for their suggestions and objections. “We hope to incorporate the necessary changes before releasing it for public use,” Jain said.

He told Business Line that the National Building Code for India was prepared during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister in the 1960’s and it was revisited in the 1980’s and again in 2005. Therefore, it was felt that the Code needs to be revisited to factor in current changes.

A 14-member team of experts has worked on the approach to sustainability for its adoption by various States.

India had 20,000 sq.ft. of green building in 2003. In less than 10 years, it has 1.25 billion sq.ft. of green buildings registered. Given the huge potential, it won’t be long before India becomes the country with highest green building cover, he said.

There is a growing interest in registering green buildings as some local authorities offer rebates in taxes, power at cheaper rates and allow additional construction space. This has become an attractive option apart from the savings such green buildings provide.

The cost of green building construction was 10 per cent higher in 2003. This dropped to 5 per cent last year and it was now 3 per cent higher. The payback time has come down from five years to three years, he said.

The attractiveness of opting for green buildings is luring more developers into the fold. More than 15 townships, including those developed by the Mahindras, the Tatas, Ramky and Wave, among others, have been registered for green rating and over 100 others are in the pipeline, he said.

rishikumar.vundi@thehindu.co.in

 

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