A three-day Green Property Show 2023, being organised by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) in partnership with Telangana government, opened at Hitex here on Friday with speakers led by IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao, at its inauguration, underscoring the significance of green buildings, including the cost and health benefits for the residents.
More than 75 exhibitors are showcasing green-rated residential and commercial properties as well as products and services. A first-of-its-kind event in the country, the expo seeks to sensitise and motivate buyers to invest in a greener future by choosing IGBC certified or pre-certified green projects, technologies and services over conventional buildings, said the Council, which is a part of industry body CII.
Mr. Rao said that Telangana government has been in the forefront of improving the green footprint. Besides achieving considerable success under the Haritha Haram programme to enhance the green cover, the State also plays host to the country’s first green building (IGBC headquarters), home, airport, railway station and factory building.
With rapid urbanisation all upcoming building projects should be green by design and those existing buildings should go the green way by retrofitting, he said, pointing out to how the government is implementing sustainability measures in its buildings. The new state-of-the-art Secretariat, T Hub, T-Works, integrated Command Control Centre as well as the new collectorate buildings figure in the list. New industrial parks and new IT parks being built in the districts are green certified as well.
The State government is walking the talk and decided to accommodate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its vision for Bangaru Telangana. “We are seeking bold ideas... innovative approaches with international best practices that would facilitate sustainable growth and development patterns across the State,” he said.
Chairman of CII Telangana and IGBC, Hyderabad Chapter, C. Shekar Reddy said that green building movement in the country took off from Hyderabad in 2003 with the IGBC building. The advantages of green buildings range from lower electricity consumption, reduced water consumption, better waste management and enhanced health and well being.
IGBC has facilitated India to become one of the top three countries in the world in terms of largest number of registered green building footprint. The country has 10.27 billion sq. ft. of green building footprint, including 1.12 billion sq. ft. in Telangana.
Besides the inherent benefits, green buildings are also eligible for financial incentives by way of lower interest rates on loans for home buyers and the developers.
Hailing Telangana government for its support to new green initiatives, IGBC Executive Director K.S. Venkatagiri sought support to make Hyderabad green building capital of the country.
