The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) organised the inaugural Green Varanasi Conclave 2026, bringing together government officials, policymakers, urban planners, architects, developers, industry representatives, academics and sustainability experts to discuss a sustainable development roadmap for Varanasi.
Held under the theme “Green Varanasi: Preserving Heritage, Building a Sustainable Future,” the conclave focused on accelerating green building adoption, climate-resilient infrastructure, water conservation, clean energy and resource-efficient development while protecting the city’s distinctive cultural and architectural heritage.
The inaugural session featured Himanshu Nagpal, IAS, Municipal Commissioner, Varanasi Municipal Corporation, and Dr Ravi Kumar Singh, IFS, Member Secretary, SEAC, Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Uttar Pradesh. Industry perspectives were shared by Amit Srivastava, Chairman, IGBC Lucknow Chapter & COO, BBD Viraj Constructions Pvt Ltd; M Anand, Executive Director, CII–IGBC; Aakash Deep, Chairman, CREDAI Purvanchal; and Umang Sah, Chairman, CII Varanasi Zone & Managing Director, UP National Manufacturers Ltd.
Varanasi currently has 38 IGBC-registered projects covering 5.73 million sq ft, including 15 IGBC-certified green buildings. The city’s green portfolio spans commercial, residential, industrial and logistics, and transit infrastructure projects. Shri Himanshu Nagpal said, “Sustainability must be at the core of future development projects. We need to address challenges such as declining groundwater levels, rising energy demand and shrinking green spaces. I urge the developer community to adopt sustainable building practices and resource-efficient solutions.”
Uttar Pradesh has 1,736 IGBC-registered green building projects covering 1.83 billion sq ft, while 692 projects covering more than 201.3 million sq ft have been certified. A key highlight was the launch of the IGBC Student Chapter at IIT (BHU), Varanasi, aimed at engaging students and nurturing future sustainability professionals.
The conclave also featured a panel discussion on “Sustainable Urban Transformation of Varanasi – Policy, Planning, Green Infrastructure & Sustainable Tourism”, with experts discussing integrated urban planning, responsible tourism, green infrastructure and heritage conservation. Technical sessions covered high-performance buildings, low-carbon construction, sustainable concrete, advanced glass technologies and eco-friendly materials.
Mr Anand said Varanasi has an opportunity to demonstrate how heritage and modern sustainability can progress together, while emphasising the need to protect rivers, improve air quality and strengthen urban ecosystems. The conclave concluded with stakeholder recommendations covering policy support, capacity building and collaborative action to expand green building practices and position Varanasi as a resilient and sustainable heritage city.
