Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) launches its Mangaluru Chapter
Mangaluru: Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) on Wednesday launched its 26th Chapter in Coastal city of Mangaluru in a formal event at Hotel Taj Gateway in the city in the presence of Council’s National Chairman V Suresh and State Chairman Syed Mohammed Beary and other dignitaries.
The council which offers a wide array of services which include developing new green building rating programmes, certification services and green building training programmes was formed in 2001 and is a part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
The event began with the opening remarks of Syed Mohammed Beary who stressed upon the need to switch to sustainable development to save the environment and planet earth. Adding that the 21st century belongs to India he said “Sustainability is in India's ethos, we need not learn about it from others. Taj Mahal is the best example of sustainability. This is time to rise to the occasion and do it as a duty”.
Syed Mohammed Beary also added that the IGBC has advised the government to convert the smart city projects into green city.
“Green is fashion and it should become passion. And for sustainable development both architect and developer has an important role to play” he said while advising architect students present in the event to work towards sustainable development.
He also urged the MLAs to help the initiative through government.
Council’s national chairman V Suresh while addressing the event, stressed upon how population rise in India has made sustainability difficult in urban areas.
“Our population has increased more than four folds since Independence and this has made sustainability difficult in urban areas. We are on the urge of running out of drinking water in major cities of the world. Green Building and the role on IGBC in such a scenario is very important” he said.
“We started in 2001 with a road map, and now in 2019 we stand at 6.92 billion sq ft of green print. We are now moving with an aim of having this number at 10 billion by Independence day on 2022” he said while briefing about several of the key achievements of the council.
D B Mehta, Chairman of the IGBC Mangaluru Chapter in his address said that the aim and goal of all the stakeholders of the Mangaluru chapter will be the same as to how we can bring sustainable development in Mangaluru.
“The important challenge in Mangaluru will not be building green buildings but to maintain it and see through how the users take it forward”
“Waste management is also important aspect we need to work on, it’s a poison thats gone into earth and will take centuries to get eliminated” he further noted.
Mangaluru North MLA Dr. Bharath Shetty also addressed the event and said “We are at a stage where we are destroying and exploiting nature to an extent of no return. We are seeing money in everything. We see trees, we see money in it. We see sand, we see money in it. I am really happy that IGBC Mangaluru chapter has been launched”.
Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyadas Kamath also wished luck to the Mangaluru Chapter and promised full cooperation and support from the Government.
Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer, Mangaluru University Registrar Airani Mohammed Khan also spoke about the need of such initiatives.
Student Chapters at various colleges and institutions were also formally launched at the event.
M Anand, Principal Counselor of IGBC compered the event.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
