No need for fresh guidelines on glass facades, says MoEF

Bengaluru: The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has said that there was no need to formulate new guidelines on the use of glass facades in the new buildings.

The NGT had sought the MoEF’s response following a petition which cited a study by Prof T V Ramachandra and others from the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science. The study said the per capita electricity consumption in zones dominated by high-rise buildings with glass facades ranges from 14,000 to 17,000 units (kWh) per year compared to zones with eco-friendly buildings (1300-1500 units/person/year).

In its submission made before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the ministry said that a meeting was held in April in this regard with representatives of the Bureau of Indian Standards, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority-Karnataka and the Central Pollution Control Board. “After the discussion, it was decided that there was no need to formulate new guidelines,” the ministry submitted.

The ministry said  a detailed affidavit on the issue will be filed within a month.