About 35% of surveyed buildings are without BU permission in Gujarat

14 Jun 2022 CW Team

The causes comprise the addition of floors, the change of usage of buildings, and jurisdictional problems.

If penalty measures were to be performed for buildings without the BU nod, then it would lead to vast demolitions. In its advice to the state government, the urban development department has said that an ordinance can be brought out with certain conditions for property owners to surmount this legal hindrance.

The recommendation will be submitted to the high court before the department officially follows it. The objective is minimum damage, said a senior official in the urban development department.

The survey had started in January, and 1,050 buildings in Ahmedabad, 1,000 in Surat, 800 in Vadodara, and 750 in Rajkot, were surveyed for BU permissions.

Some major features that were examined included the zone in which a property was located, the road width in front of the property, whether the land belongs to private people or has been allotted by the state, and the status of fire safety compliance.

Also considered were aspects such as whether there is a change of use of a building, whether the building is a health hazard, and the civic utility status.

Around 32% of the 1,050 buildings surveyed did not have BU permissions in Ahmedabad. In all, 2,160 buildings were surveyed within Nagar Palika boundaries, 5,600 within the eight municipal corporations, and about 560 under the urban development authority boundaries.

There were instances where Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) in Ahmedabad was charging unauthorised development fees but was not offering BU permissions. Several of these buildings now have excess for which there is no BU approval, said a senior Ahmedabad municipal corporation (AMC) official.

Image Source

Also read: Ahmedabad Municipal Corp seals 12 commercial units in Viratnagar

After a three-month sample survey of 8,320 buildings across municipal corporations and Nagar Palika, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) has concluded that almost 35% of the surveyed structures are without building-use (BU) permissions in Gujarat. The causes comprise the addition of floors, the change of usage of buildings, and jurisdictional problems. If penalty measures were to be performed for buildings without the BU nod, then it would lead to vast demolitions. In its advice to the state government, the urban development department has said that an ordinance can be brought out with certain conditions for property owners to surmount this legal hindrance. The recommendation will be submitted to the high court before the department officially follows it. The objective is minimum damage, said a senior official in the urban development department. The survey had started in January, and 1,050 buildings in Ahmedabad, 1,000 in Surat, 800 in Vadodara, and 750 in Rajkot, were surveyed for BU permissions. Some major features that were examined included the zone in which a property was located, the road width in front of the property, whether the land belongs to private people or has been allotted by the state, and the status of fire safety compliance. Also considered were aspects such as whether there is a change of use of a building, whether the building is a health hazard, and the civic utility status. Around 32% of the 1,050 buildings surveyed did not have BU permissions in Ahmedabad. In all, 2,160 buildings were surveyed within Nagar Palika boundaries, 5,600 within the eight municipal corporations, and about 560 under the urban development authority boundaries. There were instances where Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) in Ahmedabad was charging unauthorised development fees but was not offering BU permissions. Several of these buildings now have excess for which there is no BU approval, said a senior Ahmedabad municipal corporation (AMC) official. Image Source Also read: Ahmedabad Municipal Corp seals 12 commercial units in Viratnagar

Infrastructure Transport

30 May 2026

Chembur Metro to Boost East Mumbai Links

MMRDA is advancing eastern Mumbai’s urban mobility network, with the upcoming Chembur Metro Station set to emerge as a key interchange and the Mumbai Monorail preparing for relaunch.Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, conducted a site visit to Chembur Metro Station along with Kanhuraj Bagate, Managing Director, MMMOCL. He also visited the nearby VN Purav Monorail Station to review system preparedness and ease of interconnectivity.Once operational, the interchange is expected to offer commuters across the eastern suburbs quicker access, smoother transfers and seamless conne..

Equipment

30 May 2026

Herrenknecht TBMs Drive Thane–Borivali Tunnel Progress

Herrenknecht India has supplied two of the four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) required for the 11-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel Project being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The project is expected to reduce travel time between Thane and Borivali from 60–90 minutes to around 15 minutes while easing congestion across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.The first two Single Shield TBMs, named Nayak and Arjuna, feature 13.34-m cutterhead diameters and are designed for hard-rock excavation. They will be deployed to tunnel through the challenging geological..

Resources

29 May 2026

KBL Launches Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set

Kirloskar Brothers (KBL) has launched its Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set, an integrated fire protection solution designed to improve operational efficiency, remote monitoring and installation flexibility. The system was inaugurated by Ms Madhuritai Misal, Hon. Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra.The Smart Skid Mounted Fire Pump Set is a factory-tested, pre-packaged solution that combines FM/UL-certified motor and engine pump sets with IoT-enabled remote monitoring. Designed to deliver a flow rate of 170 m³/hr at a head of 100 metres, the system aims to provide..