Mandate 15-20% green space allocation for infra projects: CII-GBC report

Chennai: A report prepared by the Confederation of Indian Industry's Green Business Centre (CII-GBC) has recommended 15-20 per cent green space allocation for all new residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The report 'Infra South: Crafting Liveable Environments in Indian Cities' prepared by CII Green Business Centre highlights a plan to transform Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur and Salem into sustainable and liveable cities.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin at the recently held South India Annual Convention 2025 released the report which underscores the immense pressure placed on urban infrastructure and the environment due to rapid economic and population growth, exacerbated by climate change. CII would work with the Tamil Nadu government in facilitating the cities in making them greener and liveable.

The study emphasises that a green and liveable city harmoniously balances economic, environmental and social dimensions thereby enhancing the quality of life for its residents.

The report suggests that specific areas should be earmarked for green and public open spaces in the master plan for new projects. It also initiates city-wide plantation drives through public-private partnerships. The study assesses critical indicators including green spaces, transportation, power supply, water management, air pollution, waste management, and flooding among others.

In the transportation and mobility sector, the study suggested the idea of ensuring a safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure and integrating that pedestrian infrastructure into Master Plans, Comprehensive Mobility Plans and city development plans.

More awareness and campaigns on bicycling should be created towards enhancing health and wellbeing, it said.

On the supply of electricity to residences and infrastructure projects, the report suggested that the government should accelerate the implementation of smart meters and prioritise high-energy consumers. The sufficiency of streetlights, particularly in suburban areas should be reviewed, it said.

The report also recommended that incentives should be offered for adopting Green Building concepts in infrastructure projects.

On the supply of water, the report called for monitoring of the groundwater table through hydrological studies every three years and promoting awareness of the rainwater harvesting system.

Towards cleaner air, the study mandated wastewater reuse for industrial applications while recommending wastewater treatment plants be installed in societies which have more than 100 dwelling units.

Separate stormwater drains from sewage lines and increase the number of Ambient Air Quality monitoring stations as per the norms fixed by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Some of these initiatives are expected to yield significant improvements in environmental quality, public health and urban resilience across major cities of the State, the report said.