NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, SEP 12
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called upon large institutions and public sector organisations to strive towards sustainability in their operations by using renewable energy. He suggested greater adoption of rooftop solar plants in industries and big establishments like universities and government buildings and godowns.
In this regard, Naidu appealed to all states and local bodies to consider adopting the model building by-laws for new buildings. He also advocated the need to make solar rooftop plants, solar water heaters and rainwater harvesting mandatory for large buildings and government organisations, along with ensuring sufficient light and ventilation.
cabinet ministers, legislators, JIPMER Director, officials, faculty and students. Addressing the audience, the Hon'ble Vice President put forward a suggestion to make rooftop solar plants and rainwater harvesting mandatory in large buildings. 2/n#VicePresidentAtPuducherry pic.twitter.com/vhRZSXJCsD
— Lt. Gov. Puducherry (@LGov_Puducherry) September 12, 2021
Dedicating the 1.5 Megawatt rooftop solar power plant set up at a cost of a Rs 7.67-crore at JIPMER, Puducherry to the nation, Naidu said, “India is fast-moving towards becoming the global leader for ‘energy transition’. Rooftop plants use empty areas on buildings, generate power close to the point of consumption and reduce transmission losses. I urge the State, Central and UT governments to work together as Team India to popularise the tapping of solar energy and bring about greater awareness among people on the benefits of installing solar panels on their rooftops.”
He called for massive campaigns to publicize the subsidy programmes for solar rooftop systems and the resultant electricity savings. He hailed the recent landmark of 100 Gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity in India.
Referring to the lessons from the pandemic, Naidu stressed the importance of ventilation and air circulation in buildings. “Sunlight is a natural disinfectant. Our ancestors understood this – it reflected in their planning and construction of houses”, the Vice President noted. He underscored the need to create living and working spaces with ample ventilation and natural light in order to maintain good health.
Naidu also commended medical institutions like JIPMER for showing extraordinary resolve during the pandemic and rising to the occasion. He said that due to the collective efforts of such institutions, doctors, medical staff, and healthcare workers, the country has been fighting the pandemic effectively.
Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker of Puducherry Assembly Embalam R. Selvam, Lok Sabha MP V. Vaithilingam, MLA from Puducherry V. Aroumougame, Director, JIPMER, Puducherry, Dr. Rakesh Aggarwal and others were present during the event.
The plant would meet 15 percent of the electricity demand of JIPMER and save Rs 1.7 crore in electricity bills every year as per the prevailing tariff, a press release from JIPMER said here.
