Sustainable construction, effective pollution control need of the hour, says MahaMetro MD Hardikar

Pune: Sustainable and environment-friendly construction practices are essential to address the environmental impact of rapid urbanisation, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation managing director Shravan Hardikar said at the inauguration of GRIHA Regional Conclave 2026 in Pune on Wednesday.Speaking at the event, organised by GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Council, which is jointly established by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and Sustainability Initiative (SI), Hardikar said effective implementation of environmental regulations, regular monitoring and adoption of sustainable construction practices were necessary to control pollution from the construction sector.“If sustainable development is to be achieved, everyone needs to take the initiative. Those who do not adopt environment-friendly construction practices should face punitive action. With construction activity increasing across cities, dust pollution is also rising, making effective implementation of dust-control measures essential,” Hardikar said.The conclave, held at Hotel Conrad in Koregaon Park, was themed ‘Pathways for a Low Carbon Future: Building to Infrastructure’. It brought together architects, developers, infrastructure experts, govt officials, academics and sustainability professionals to discuss low-carbon buildings, resilient infrastructure, climate finance and sustainable urban development.A key highlight of the inaugural session was the signing of two MoUs. GRIHA signed an MoU with Vishwakarma University, Pune, with GRIHA CEO Sanjay Seth and Dr Priti Dhanwat, Dean, School of Architecture and Planning, Vishwakarma University, exchanging the agreement. A second MoU was signed with Dr D. Y. Patil College of Architecture, Mumbai, and was exchanged by Shabnam Bassi, Director, Sustainable Buildings Division, TERI, and Prof Dinesh Zope.Prof Sunil S. Bhagwat, Director, IISER Pune, said India could potentially take a leadership role globally in sustainability in the coming years. “Sustainability is important, but economics and human needs are equally significant. There is a need for extensive research and innovative initiatives to achieve environment-friendly and sustainable development,” he said.Sanjay Seth said Pune is a rapidly growing city, and it needs infrastructure to support its rapid growth, but such development should not come at the cost of the environment. “All stakeholders need to work together to promote sustainable and environment-friendly construction. The conclave can provide direction for such collaborative efforts,” he said.The event began with a fireside chat with environmental experts Dr Prasad Modak and Ar. Anagha Paranjape-Purohit. Projects and schools that had received GRIHA ratings were also felicitated. A GRIHA delegation also visited Saarthi, a green building in Pune, as part of the programme.The plenary session on ‘Scaling Sustainability: From Green Buildings to Resilient Cities and Infrastructure’ examined ways to reduce energy, carbon, water and resource consumption through sustainable building practices. Another roundtable session, on ‘Moving Towards Low Carbon Transition: Business Strategy, Climate Finance and Building Stakeholder Capacity to Derive Carbon Value’, discussed green finance, business strategies, carbon markets and the economic potential of verified emission reductions.The conclave was attended by GRIHA CEO Sanjay Seth, TERI’s Shabnam Bassi, IISER Pune Director Prof Sunil Bhagwat, Dr Prasad Modak, VK Group Chairman & Managing Director Hrishikesh Kulkarni, former PMRDA chief engineer Vivek Kharwadkar, Developer Sarvesh Javadekar, Architect Anuja Pandit, Sustainability Initiative trustee Ar. Anagha Paranjape-Purohit, Upendra Deshpande, Vijay Sane, Prof. Dinesh Zope and Dr Priti Dhanwat, among others. Shabnam Bassi proposed the vote of thanks.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in PuneStay updated with the latest Pune news. Download the TOI App.