COVETED IGBC PLATINUM RATING AWARDED TO HOWRAH STATION OF EASTERN RAILWAY
Kolkata, January 3, 2024:
Reporter Shahid Alam
Eastern Railway making continuous endeavour for achieving better standards in environment management, in the operation process or at stations or other Railway premises. The environment sustainability effort has always been a foremost priority of Eastern Railway and under the able guidance of General Manager Shri Sumit Sarkar, Eastern Railway is marching ahead for achieving even better Green Certification in all walks.
In a groundbreaking achievement, Eastern Railway’s Howrah Railway Station, the largest, busiest and one of the oldest railway stations of Indian Railways has been upgraded its Green Rating from Gold to Platinum within an astonishing five months period. Witnessing a daily footfall of approximately 6.5 lakhs passengers, the stations remarkable commitment to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility has set a new benchmark in the history of Green Ratings, accomplishing the upgrade from Gold to Platinum in just five months.
CII-IGBC (Confederation of Indian Industry – Indian Green Building Council) with the support of Environment Directorate of Indian Railway has developed the Green Railway Stations rating system. The overarching objective of the rating is to facilitate adoption of green concepts, thereby reduce the adverse environmental impacts due to station operation & maintenance, and enhance the overall commuter experience at station. The rating system will help the station management to understand their present position with respect to the 'green performance' of the station and the measures that need to be taken to enhance the performance on a continual basis. Green Ratings have been classified as Certified (50-59), Silver (60-69), Gold (70-79), and Platinum (80-89), with Howrah Railway Station securing a remarkable score of 83, securing the highest possible rating.
The journey towards Platinum began in April 2018 when Eastern Railway’s Howrah Railway Station received a Silver Rating which was valid until June 2021. After extensive environmental projects and recertification efforts, the station achieved Gold Rating on 23rd June 2023. Not satisfied with Gold, the Howrah Division’s team of concerned officials led by Sr.DEnHM/Howrah, Shri Prem Prakash under the guidance of Divisional Railway Manager/Howrah, Shri Sanjeev Kumar made relentless efforts to achieve even better resulting in the prestigious Platinum Rating awarded by the Confederation of Indian Industry - Indian Green Building Council (CII - IGBC) on 03rd January 2024.
The transformation from Gold to Platinum highlights the station's outstanding improvement in environmental performance, energy and water efficiency, and overall green initiatives. The collective efforts of railway authorities, staff, passengers, and all stakeholders have been instrumental in this remarkable journey.
Key initiatives undertaken by Eastern Railway for the Platinum Rating of Howrah Station include:
Waste Disposal System Improvement: a robust waste disposal system with twin dustbins, segregation at the source and a centralized waste collection facility has been.
Property Development for Non-Fare Box Revenue: Innovation has been done in the Brownfield redevelopment initiatives including the development of Vande Bharat Exp. Restaurant Coach and the Executive Lounge at the New Complex & Old Complex of Howrah Railway Station.
Water Audit and Harvesting: Regular water audit & metering is being done and implementation of water harvesting and rainwater harvesting has also been done.
Air Quality Monitoring: Fresh treated air in all AC rooms with CO2 monitoring.
Energy Audit being done regularly, SCADA system is in place with maximum roof covered with Solar panel.
The Platinum Rating achievement exemplifies Howrah Railway Station's unwavering commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, setting a commendable example for other railway stations and institutions nationwide.
