J&K to have new bylaws for building approval in rural areas. Here are the details.

Ziraat Times Team Report

SRINAGAR: In a step towards regulating rural development, Secretary Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, chaired a high-level meeting today to review the draft of the Jammu and Kashmir Building Permission (Rural Areas) Procedure, 2025—a pioneering framework aimed at formalising construction activities across the Union Territory’s Halqa Panchayat areas.

Describing the initiative as a transformative milestone, the Secretary said, “This framework is not merely regulatory—it is transformational. It restores people’s trust, strengthens Panchayati Raj institutions, and brings a structured, rule-based approach to rural development.”

The meeting was attended by Director RDD Kashmir Shabir Hussain Bhat, Director RDD Jammu Mumtaz Ali, Director Panchayati Raj Sham Lal, Director Finance Umar Khan, Joint Director Planning Kamal Kumar Sharma, Superintending Engineers Aamir Ali (Kashmir) and Rajesh Kumar (Jammu), Deputy Secretary Tahir Ahmad Magray and other senior officials.

The draft framework is grounded in Section 12 (2)(iv) of the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, and Rules 155 and 156 of the Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996. These provisions empower Halqa Panchayats to regulate buildings, shops, and entertainment houses in their jurisdictions and mandate approval for construction, reconstruction or alterations.

Once notified, the procedure will be applicable to all rural areas outside the jurisdiction of municipal bodies, tourism authorities, and other empowered agencies. It will cover a wide range of construction activities including new constructions, alterations, extensions, change of use, or rebuilding following fire or collapse.

Emphasising both accountability and accessibility, the Secretary directed that the draft be backed by a fully digital Online Building Permit System (OBPS). “Citizen convenience must remain paramount, while maintaining transparency and regulatory integrity,” he said.

The proposed procedure mandates a 30-day processing timeline: 15 days for internal review, 10 days for decision-making, and 5 days for communicating outcomes. A strong monitoring mechanism and systematic record-keeping of all permissions granted are also envisaged.

To address complex or ambiguous construction proposals, Aijaz Asad advised the use of a hierarchical reference system—starting with the J&K Unified Building Bye Laws 2021, followed by the Model Building Bye Laws of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006), accessibility guidelines, and the ECBC Code for energy conservation.

The Secretary directed all officials to finalise the draft expeditiously so that the framework can be notified and implemented across the UT, creating a more responsive, inclusive, and legally sound rural planning ecosystem.