By IANS,
New Delhi: Roshni – a green innovative concept to create sustainable urban habitats, evolved at the behest of President Pratibha Patil – is likely to be replicated in the country by some of the well-known real estate developers, officials said Thursday.
Roshni was launched in 2008 in the president’s estate with a motive to make the 330 acres of the campus a green, energy-efficient and zero-waste model township.
“We want this green initiative to go out of the four walls of the president’s estate. We are already in talks with several educational institutions and private real estate developers like DLF and Raheja group to work out a model to replicate it in private sector,” Christy Fernandez, secretary to the president, told IANS.
Fernandez said both the groups have shown keen interest in the concept and want to implement it in their projects.
“It will be add on feature for them (developers) while selling their flats,” he said.
Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2010 became the country’s first-ever urban habitat to receive the ISO 14001 certification, which was granted by Britain’s Bureau Veritas in view of the various standardised environment management practices, including solar energy, adopted under Roshni.
According to Ferandez, the initiative was an effort to help and equip the residents of the estate to live in harmony with nature.
“It came against the background of issues concerned with climate change, with an effort to make the residents of the estate more aware about the challenges faced and to be concerned about the degradation of the natural ecosystem,” he said.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan Thursday held a one-day seminar on “Universalisation of Roshni” to take the initiative to people.
Roshni focuses on conserving water and energy, use of new and renewable energy sources, improving solid waste management, control air and noise pollution, to enhance green cover and conserve biodiversity.
Rashtrapati Bhawan was selected as one of the six buildings by the power ministry for implementation of energy efficiency measures.
An energy audit in the main building was conducted in 2003 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and on its basis, some energy efficiency measures were taken. Between March 2009-2011, these measures saved 19,90,000 units (KWH) of power.