Even as the Union Environment Ministry’s green building is yet to be completed in New Delhi, the state-of-the-art official headquarters at Mohali for Punjab’s Forest Department has taken the lead in adopting most-advanced climate-friendly technology in the country in the Government sector.
Set up in a record time of 18 months and spread over on two acres of land, the seven-floored building christened as ‘Forest Complex’ has various green features such as no switches to lighten up bulbs or run air-conditioners combined with the lED/CFl lamps, solar heating and low-emission paints besides various others.
Explains Aseem K Sharma, Dy Conservator of Forest, Mohali, in fact, the Rs 60-crore building is entirely sensors-controlled ie light and air-conditioners will start operating only in the presence of the people and will automatically switch off soon after five minutes once they leave the room. Also, the building has energy-efficient double glass windows which allow 85 per cent light and only 15 per cent heat to pass through.
In addition, there is an in-built forest area in the Central courtyard that has a water body with a submerged bridge and a 40-ft waterfall aims to reduce the temperature by at least five-six degrees.
Sharma said that the electricity bill of the seven-floored building has already come down to 5-6 lakhs per month and, he adds, it would further reduce in the long run.
The Rs 60-crore tortoise shaped building has been partly funded by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), the Japan Bank of International Cooperation Agency (JAICA), State Government and the State Forest Development Cooperation ltd.
While the 60 per cent of the building houses various offices of the Punjab Forest Department, the rest 40 per cent is given to private companies on lease basis, thus earning revenue for the Government.
“Returns on our investments have already started pouring in,” said an official from the HUDCO, a Delhi-based PSU engaged in providing funds to various institutions in the country for infrastructure projects besides others.
On 6 January 2011, then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had inaugurated a new site for the office of the Environment Ministry in New Delhi saying that it would be the greenest Government building in the country.
