SRINAGAR: In a move aimed at bringing uniformity and transparency to the building approval process, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday notified a uniform building permission fee structure to be implemented across all Urban Local Bodies and Development Authorities in the Union Territory with immediate effect.
The Housing and Urban Development Department issued the order under the Jammu and Kashmir Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2021, saying the decision was taken to end the existing disparity in building permission charges levied by different municipal bodies and development authorities.
Under the revised fee schedule, residential buildings, including housing colonies, will attract a building permission fee of Rs 80 per square metre, while commercial, public/semi-public, industrial and other special category buildings will be charged ₹270 per square metre. Mixed-use buildings will be charged Rs 150 per square metre.
The government has also fixed a malba (debris) security deposit of Rs 3,000 for residential buildings and Rs 10,000 for all other categories. In addition, a compounding fee equivalent to 40 per cent of the applicable building permission fee for the respective land use will be levied wherever applicable. Religious buildings have been exempted from payment of building permission fees.
According to the order, the notified rates will apply uniformly across all Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Development Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of the location where permission is sought.
The building permission fee will be calculated on the basis of the total permissible or approved built-up area in accordance with the Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2021.
The government has directed that the revised fee schedule be integrated into the Online Building Permission System (OBPS)/Auto-DCR platform to ensure uniform processing and disposal of applications across the Union Territory.
It has further ordered that no Urban Local Body or Development Authority shall revise, enhance, reduce or otherwise alter the notified fee structure without prior approval of the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The department said all Urban Local Bodies and Development Authorities have been directed to incorporate the uniform fee structure in their building permission procedures, public notices, citizen charters and online portals, while senior municipal and development authority officials will be responsible for ensuring strict compliance with the government order.
