'Green' Rashtrapati Bhawan to get ISO certificate

The Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official abode of the President of India, is set to become the aboriginal burghal abode to accept an ISO acceptance (International Organisation for Standardisation) abutting month.

Next week, absolute auditors from the Bureau Veritas Acceptance (BVQI), all-around leaders in systems acceptance services, are appointed to appointment the sprawling acreage to activate the aboriginal appearance of the auditing action that will ultimately advance to certifying the 340-acre ability with an ISO 14001:2004 mark.

The 14000 alternation chronicle to ecology issues and will accredit the President's acreage as an burghal abode that uses processes that are eco-friendly and activity saving. The final affidavit will be accustomed by the United Kingdom Accreditation Casework (UKAS), recognised common as the advanced accreditation agency.

"Under the admonition of the President, we had activated for the ISO 14001 acceptance aftermost ages to ensure that the President's acreage is recognised, accustomed and maintained as a archetypal eco-township," says Christy Fernandes, secretary to President Pratibha Patil. The BVQI auditors, according to him, will appointment Rashtrapati Bhawan on June 21-22 while the final auditing by UKAS will be done in the aboriginal anniversary of July.

" We apptite to time the acceptance with achievement of three years in appointment of the President," says Fernandes, abacus that this will be the aboriginal time that an burghal abode will be awarded such a credential. "Normally, automated and accumulated entities are awarded such certification," says Fernandes.

To acquire the certification, Rashtrapati Bhawan put in abode a cardinal of eco-friendly processes in the aftermost two years. Project Roshni, an action started by the President aftermost year encompasses recycling of water, rain baptize harvesting, use of accustomed gas and biogas instead of LPG, aught decay administration and authoritative the acreage a plastic-free zone.

But acquiescence has been easier said than done, as the campus has over 2,000 households besides contingents from the Army, the President's bodyguards, ITBP and the Delhi Police. It has been a abiding climb, admitting difficult in the antecedent stages, admits Fernandes.

The absolute ability is now beneath acrimonious activity audit, with houses application alone CFL lighting, besides solar lamps actuality acclimated at 110 credibility aural the campus. "We accept laid bottomward a able ecology policy. We use electric cars and carts for active bounded errands aural the campus. Even the amphitheater is run on solar ability admitting it does accept a approved ability antecedent as back-up," says Fernandes.