Chairman of CII Indian Green Building Council Prem C Jain has said that the approach to sustainability document for the National Building Code of India will be ready for release by March. The document is ready and is in circulation among the State Governments, municipalities and other stakeholders for their suggestions and objections, he added.

Jain said that the Council will incorporate necessary changes before releasing it for public use. He told a business newspaper that the National Building Code for India was prepared during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister in 1960s and it was revisited in 1980s and again in the year 2005. It was felt that the Code needed to be revisited again to factor current changes.

India had 20,000 sq.ft of green building in 2003. In less than 10 years, it has 1.25 billion sq.ft of green buildings registered. Given the huge potential, it won’t be long before India becomes the country with biggest green building cover, he said.

The cost of green building construction was 10 per cent higher in 2003. This had dropped to 5 per cent last year and is now at 3 per cent. The payback time has come down from five to three years, he said.

Some local authorities offer rebates in taxes, power at cheaper rates and allow additional construction space. This has become an attractive option, apart from the savings such green buildings provide, he said.

National Building Code of India is a comprehensive building Code. It is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the building construction activities across the country.

It serves as a Model Code for adoption by all agencies involved in building construction works be they Public Works Departments, other government construction departments, local bodies or private construction agencies.

The Code mainly contains administrative regulations, development control rules and general building requirements; fire safety requirements; stipulations regarding materials, structural design and construction (including safety); and building and plumbing services.