THERE ARE MANY MEASURES REQUIRED TO MAKE MUMBAI A SUSTAINABLE CITY.

HOLISTIC GROWTH THERE ARE MANY MEASURES REQUIRED TO MAKE MUMBAI A SUSTAINABLE CITY. DEVELOPERS TALK TO ANURADHA RAMAMIRTHAM ABOUT THEIR SUGGESTIONS LALIT KUMAR JAIN CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT , CREDAI - NATIONAL      Mumbai is the financial hub of our country and is on the path of becoming a global city. This would result in more pressures on the environment, society and economy. We need to act now in order to ensure sustainable growth and development. We all have an important role to play in making this city a better place to live and ensure a better future for generations to come. This would mean creating awareness, changing lifestyles, optimising use of natural resources, and developing infrastructure to live in harmony. We need to build green buildings in Mumbai. But this is easier said than done. Converting existing buildings into greener buildings needs a lot of hard work. Also, developers need to spread awareness about green projects. Green projects are a little expensive, but the long term benefits far outweigh the cost factor.  MANOJ JOHN VP: CORPORATE PLANNING & STRATEGY, RNA CORP      Realty project planning offers significant scope to create living spaces that promote "Responsible Living". The areas of improvement are conservation of water and recycling of water, harnessing of solar energy and low energy consumption devices, effective solid waste management, provision for adequate green cover and use of environment-friendly construction material.      Urban settlements need to be augmented with green cover as part of property development to ensure natural process of environment cleansing. It also provides for a better quality of life by encouraging out-of-home activities for residents promoting better health and community living. It is desirable to plant foliage-rich trees in addition to lawns, and add variety to the landscape by having herb gardens, bioponds. Conservation of top-soil present on the plot of land for construction is also a meaningful effort towards promoting green cover.  LAKSHMAN BHAGTANI CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAYCEE HOMES LTD      The city of Mumbai is on the verge of becoming a global city. However, the city still needs to take concrete steps to become truly sustainable. Initiatives need to be taken up to create awareness about the harmful effects that our future generation may face if we do not act now. Though economic progress is important for the country and its people, we need to strike a balance between both economic growth and sustainability. Developers need to spread awareness about green projects.  HEMANT SHAH CHAIRMAN-HUBTOWN LIMITED      There will have to be an all-round effort by everyone with government leading the initiative from the front. Infrastructure has to be the focal point. Also as we have said in the past, permissible FSI has to be increased paving the way for affordable living for all with more open spaces.While these will make a difference, more needs to be done as a lot of time has passed in execution since metro and mono rail were planned and they need to be updated with future requirements in the current scenario. Most importantly, execution in infra project has to gain momentum. What we can really learn from our peers in India and internationally is that the approach to build infrastructure, housing and commercial establishments need to be integrated so that there are no bottlenecks left.  PRAVIN MALKANI MANAGING DIRECTOR, PATEL REALTY INDIA LTD.      Mumbai ranks as one of the world's largest megacities making it a densely populated city in the world. The city thrives for sustainability, however it faces some serious challenges on a larger and complex scale. The measures required to make this city sustainable is to implement green measures in every new development irrespective of the size of the building, i.e. It must be mandatory to build a sewage treatment plant within the development, ensure garbage segregation, insist on LED lights and water conservation fixtures in the toilets etc. What also needs to be done is to ensure that more and more people use the public transport or mass transport system, which is already under strain, and maybe a concept of congestion tax should be considered to ensure more cars get off the roads and more trains, buses and metro rail services are used by people.  SHAILESH PURANIK MANAGING DIRECTOR, PURANIK BUILDERS PVT. LTD      The quantum of development in the real estate sector in Mumbai is large. As the real estate sector is an important element in development of a city, sustainable development in the real estate sector can play a significant role in making Mumbai a sustainable city. This can be achieved by adopting technologies, design and construction practices that support sustainable development in real estate industry. Adopting green practices in construction also provides for reduction in operation cost and makes it commercially viable from a long term point of view.      Inputs: Shilpa Sachdev