Green contest for NKDA complexes in Kolkata – Times of India

KOLKATA: To celebrate its recent achievement of receiving Platinum-rated Green city certification from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) on August this year, the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has initiated a contest amongst housing societies and gated communities in New Town to rank them. The evaluation will be done on eight areas such as plastic-free environment, solid waste segregation, greening and plantation and others.
Interested housing blocks and residents’ welfare associations can submit their applications mentioning what initiatives they have taken on these areas during the period from January 2019 till December this year. The results will be declared in March next year.
NKDA will hold a briefing session on the issue with interested participants during the Puja meet to be held at Rabindra Tirtha this Thursday.
Marks have been allotted for each of the eight areas and the evaluation will be done based on how much societies have done on the particular front. For example, a total of 20 marks have been given in overall cleanliness under which a number of initiatives have been listed with marks, each ranging from 1 to 6. The total marks is 100.
Various housing blocks and residents’ welfare associations have taken up a number of green initiatives like planting trees and installing solar panels. A few have also sanitized their complex premises as Covid measure.
The residents welfare associations are welcoming the NKDA initiative to organise such a friendly competition.
“We have been taking up various green initiatives in our housing complex. We have involved children in green initiatives and also encouraging residents to take up composting within the complex,” said Biswajit Majumder of Eastern High apartment complex.
“We have done several plantation programmes since Amphan. We also plan to instal solar panels on top of the car parking area,” said Subho Dasgupta, treasurer of Moonbeam apartment owners association.
New Town was given the Platinum rated Green City tag for taking up several green initiatives such as integrated land use with green and open spaces, developing water bodies, developing bicycle friendly infrastructure, rain water harvesting, making rules for green buildings, using solar energy, having e-mobility and waste water treatment among others.