Secunderabad, Kacheguda Railway Stations all set to join "Eco Smart" bandwagon

After obtaining recognition as Green Stations, the Secunderabad and Kacheguda railway stations are now ready to join the "Eco-Smart" league. These two stations of the city are included in the list of 36 railway stations selected throughout the country for development as Eco-Smart stations when complying with environmental standards for the "ISO-14001" certification of the Bureau of Indian Standards ( BIS).

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the railways of India to identify 36 stations that will be developed as Eco-Smart stations to achieve green environmental standards. As a result, the South Central Railway (SCR) identified three stations in its area: Secunderabad, Kacheguda and Vijayawada.

The NGT has established standards to achieve the certification of BIS environmental standards for selected railway stations within a specific time period. These stations must comply with 10 main parameters with respect to the 'ISO-14001' certification.

The parameters that must be achieved include the cleaning of the stations, the elimination of solid waste, the supply of pet crushing machines, the carrying out of anti-trash activities, the management of water, the prevention of defecation in the roads of the railways, the elimination of invasions, energy management, afforestation and plantation.

According to SCR officials, the area has been proactively taking green initiatives for station development and all three stations have received the coveted Green-Co ratings from the Indian Green Building Council and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-IGBC).

SCR's Chief Public Relations Officer, Ch Rakesh, said that the three railway stations had been taking ecological initiatives and have reached 80% of the environmental standards established by NGT.

"In fact, the Secunderabad Railway Station could become the first station in the country to obtain ISO-14001 certification, as we are putting the finishing touches on green initiatives. Efforts are being made to complete the work of balance and obtain certification by the month of September, "he said.

In accordance with environmental standards, the area had already maintained modules such as sustainable station facilities, hygiene and sanitation, energy and water efficiency, smart green initiatives and innovation and development, Rakesh added.

Green Railway Stations

The Secunderabad Railway Station has the distinction of being the first to be certified as "Green Railway Station" on the railways of India and obtain the "Platinum Rating Certification", the highest rating available in this category for part of CII-IGBC in 2017. It obtained the sixth best station in cleanliness among 75 stations of category A1 in railways of India in the third-party audit conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) in 2018.

The Kacheguda Railway Station received the "Green Railway Station" label with "Gold rating" from CII-IGBC in 2018 and won the 14th position in the QCI audit.