Green Railway Station Certification

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Context:

• Visakhapatnam railway station of East Coast Railway has been awarded the ‘Green Railway Station Certification with highest rating of Platinum'.

About Green Railway Station rating system:

• The Environment Directorate of Indian Railways, with the support of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), has developed the Green Railway Station rating system. It addresses national priorities such as water conservation, handling of waste, energy efficiency, reduced use of fossil fuel, lesser dependence on usage of virgin materials and health and well-being of occupants.

About the Award to Vishakhapatnam Railway Station:

• The award has been accorded to Vishakhapatnam Railway Station by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for adopting green concepts thereby reducing the adverse environmental impact.
• Visakhapatnam is one of the few railway stations to get this prestigious certificate. Visakhapatnam secured 82 out of 100 points in six environmental categories.
• Visakhapatnam railway station performed well in categories such as sustainable facilities, health, hygiene, energy and water efficiency, smart green initiatives, innovation and development.
• The following steps were undertaken based on Survey and Recommendations of IGBC that conducted the Survey -

1. Segregation of Waste by Constructing MRF Shed.
2. Setting and Operationalization of 500KLD STP for Station & Colony Water.
3. Setting up of Solar Panels to conserve Power.
4. Well Developed Passenger Amenities.
5. 100% fitment of LED Lightings.

About IGBC

• The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was formed in the year 2001.
• The vision of the council is, “To enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025”.
• The council offers a wide array of services which include developing new green building rating programmes, certification services and green building training programmes. The council also organizes Green Building Congress, its annual flagship event on green buildings.
• The council is committee-based, member-driven and consensus-focused. All the stakeholders of construction industry comprising of architects, developers, product manufacturers, corporate, Government, academia and nodal agencies participate in the council activities through local chapters.
• The council also closely works with several State Governments, Central Government, World Green Building Council, and bilateral multi-lateral agencies in promoting green building concepts in the country.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1893510