State plans policy to make 'green' buildings compulsory

Realising the growing insufficiency of natural resources and the additional burden on urban public utilities, the state government is mulling on making ‘green' buildings compulsory in cities.

If the policy is put in place, it will be mandatory for builders to incorporate facilities such as rainwater harvesting, solid waste management and compost manure plants, solar energy and sewage recycling units in their upcoming residential or commercial complexes.

In the bargain, the residents of such buildings will get a property tax rebate between 2 to 7 per cent. The Mumbai civic body already has a provision for giving property tax rebate to housing societies that go green. But the plan has remained on paper because there are no clear guidelines from the state government.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rules framed in 2010, all new buildings constructed on a plot admeasuring more than 300 sq m must have rainwater harvesting in place. Other facilities like sewage water recycling, solid waste management, segregation of organic and non-organic waste, creating manure from waste, are also included in the scheme.

In the policy, the builders will not get clearances from the building proposal departments of their respective civic bodies if they don't have green facilities in their proposals. There will be a mechanism in place to verify building projects before and after completion.

The government will have a rule in place for the same, which will be applicable to all civic bodies in the state. Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will have a pilot project under this policy, said Minister of State for Urban Development Dr Ranjit Patil.

‘We are thinking of giving rebate in property tax payment to the owners of flats in green buildings," he said yesterday, adding that the government will ensure that the environment-friendly scheme is implemented in Mumbai and other urban areas of the state.