Lavasa could gain from MoEF notification on green ratings

The environment ministry’s decision to give priority to construction projects with green building ratings may help Lavasa, among others. Lavasa, the ambitious hill city project of HCC Chairman and Managing Director Ajit Gulabchand, has been stuck for long over green hurdles.

Though the ministry’s initiative is meant to incentivise companies for integrating green norms into their building plans, experts said the move may give some advantage to projects like Lavasa.

According to ministry officials, if Lavasa withdraws its petition against the environment ministry and makes a fresh application, its project could possibly get an out-of-turn consideration for approval by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC).

The ministry had said last Wednesday that building and construction sector projects, which had obtained a green building rating (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), will be considered ahead of other projects for environmental clearance.

Such companies will get “priority for their consideration, out of turn, by the EAC,” a ministry communication had said.

However, the ministry had said the guideline had nothing to do with any specific project. The ministry maintains a chronology. In order of applications made, projects are considered by the EAC. It is sort of first-come, first-serve basis. There are certain exceptions. In case of court directions or if it’s in the national interest, the EAC even considers projects out of turn.

According to Lavasa, the company is part of a core committee, constituted by the Indian Green Building Council, for setting up standards and guidelines for establishing green cities.

Fortune Select Hotel in the hill city of Lavasa is already certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver. The Christ College is under evaluation. The company is also evaluating the possibility of having major public buildings as LEED-certified.

A green building is one that depletes the natural resources to the minimum during its construction and operation, and minimises the demand on non-renewable resources. It also maximises the reuse, recycling, and utilisation of renewable resources.

The Energy and Resources Institute came up with a rating system, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, adopted by the government as the national green building rating system for the country. The Indian Green Building Council has licensed the LEED Green Building Standard and currently is responsible for certifying buildings in India.

The Lavasa project has been under the scanner of the environment ministry for violation of green norms. The ministry had sent a show cause notice to the corporation on November 25 last year. As many as 257 residential units on 681.3 hectares were under construction when environment minister Jairam Ramesh imposed a stop work order earlier this year.