“We use lift instead of staircase, and then spend money for gym”

Gandhinagar, 28 November, 2011

Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Energy Efficiency and Thermal Audit’ today at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar Chief Minister Narendra Modi stressed for a lifestyle which is in harmony with the elements of nature. Such lifestyle is the best way for the conservation of natural energy resources, he said.

The seminar was jointly organized by the Gujarat and Denmark governments and was greatly participated by the urban planners and architectures.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Modi emphasized on using modern technology while retaining the Indian ethos. In the construction field ‘Modernization without Westernization’ has to be our motto for the conservation of energy sources, said Chief Minister.

Enumerating the various examples of discerning use of energy he said, our ancestors had developed an energy-efficient lifestyle that was in tune with the laws of universe. Centuries back in India there was a concept of environment-friendly buildings which are in alignment with the nature’s elements like air, water, light etc. In contrast, today we use lifts instead of using staircase and then spend for gym to maintain our body, he said.

Our ancestors gave the principal of trusteeship, he said, not out of the fear of the nature but to keep harmony with the nature. But the materialistic lifestyle of the West has dragged the humanity to the problems like scarcity of natural resources and global warming. The traditional ‘Bhunga’ house in Kutch is the best example of quake-resistant housing technology, he said.

The architecture of temples and churches is energy-efficient and in alignment with the natural forces. Even the structure of ‘pol’ and ‘haveli’ also have inbuilt mechanism for the conservation of energy, he said.

For the hot climate like ours, he said, the usage of glass-walls and the corporate-style buildings are just blind imitations of western countries which led to the wastage of energy through unnecessary air-conditioning and lighting.

Chief Minister also appealed to incorporate rain water harvesting mechanism and the solar energy systems in the building construction.

Denmark envoy Mr. Freddy Swane said the Demark government is impressed with Gujarat’s progressive approach towards energy-efficiency and is keen to partner the state in a continual growth. Denmark government is also keen for technology transfer under its energy efficiency movement. He said he has faith in Gujarat’s leadership that it will properly implement all the measures to stop the unwise use of energy.

Principal Secretary for Industries M.Sahu and Principal Secretary for Urban Development I.P.Gautam were also present on the occasion.