Implementing green practices in defence infrastructure projects

Abstract

The Military Engineer Services (MES) is the premier construction agency under Ministry of Defence, which provides infrastructure-construction engineering and its maintenance support to the Armed Forces. It is one of construction and maintenance agencies in India since British Era1851. It has a total annual budget of approx Rs 13000 crores. It is responsible for creating the strategic and the operational infrastructure other than major roads, as also the administrative habitat for all three Services and the associated organizations of the Ministry of Defence. MES is the only construction agency in the country which carries out all construction related tasks like construction of residential and office buildings, hospitals, roads and runways, marine structure like docks and harbours across the country including border areas. Besides conventional buildings, MES is largely involved in the construction of sophisticated and complex laboratories, factories and workshops, hospitals, airfields, runways and hangars, dockyards, wharves and other marine structures. It also deals with all the multifarious associated requirements such as air conditioning, cold storage, electric and water supply, sewage treatment and so on. • It has Pan India footprint to provide engineering support to various formations of Army, Air Force, Navy and DRDO. For this, the MES has over six hundred stations spread across the main land and the island territories of India. The organization was created over 200 years ago to execute both civil and military infrastructure. • Approx 60 % of Annual Budget i.e. Rs 7800 Crore is being used for creation of new infrastructure. Out of this Rs 7800 Crore, approx Rs 5000 Crore are being used for infrastructure where green building practices can be applied. Rest of budget is being used for central services like augmentation of electric, water etc. As on date these practices are not being adopted even from the planning stage. So buildings constructed are not self sustainable and environment friendly. Objective of Policy memo in question is to define green practices, to study the green building norms implementation in other central government department, PSU, private sectors etc, to take some case study of abroad, discuss implementation of green practices considering the various stakeholders and various policy angles and issues. How it is to be done within the framework of existing structure of department.