The Delhi-Mumbai corridor will have the highest number of green buildings, minister for new and renewable energy Dr Farooq Abdullah said here on Thursday.

“The rapid growth of the building (sic) sector is a cause of concern, and one way to offset the energy consumption by the buildings is to go for green buildings,” Abdullah said. The minister was speaking at the national conference on green design. 

He emphasised that the green rating for integrated habitat assessment (GRIHA) should impart more training to professionals and architects to sensitise them about eco-friendly construction. GRIHA, a green building design evaluation system, has been conceived by the energy and resource institute (Teri) and developed jointly with the ministry of new and renewable energy.

Speaking at the inaugural session, R K Pachauri, director general, Teri, said, “There is a building boom in India that is only going to accelerate. Thus, there is a need to build in a way that does not get locked in inefficiency. To bring about a major change, ratings based on solid scientific principles, architectural techniques and methods that stand the test of times are essential. Teri has been at the forefront of this and is fortunate to get the MNRE’s support and encouragement in this process.”

Emphasising the need for green buildings, Arun Maira, member of the planning commission said, “In order to promote green buildings in India, we need to engage more and more people in the process, and, the government plays a very important role in doing so. We should spread awareness about green buildings among the mass, so that they demand more green from the government.”