Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to activate its enforcement squads to crack down on deviations from approved building plans, a move that assumes significance as the civic body is expected to place its action taken report on unauthorised constructions before the Supreme Court on Aug 4.Officials said BMC’s planning wing will carry out inspections to identify violations, including unauthorised additional floors, encroachments on mandatory setback areas and changes from sanctioned building plans. Based on the findings, enforcement squads will recommend action under the applicable provisions of building laws.BMC’s planning and development standing committee chairman Sridhar Jena said that the matter was discussed during a recent corporation meeting, where they recommended the action. “The proposal was accepted by the committee members and steps will be taken accordingly,” he added.The exercise comes amid heightened scrutiny by the apex court over unauthorised constructions and commercial activities operating from residential buildings across the country. The issue gained prominence following SC’s Barjatya judgement of Dec 17, 2024, which held that regularisation of unauthorised constructions could be considered only after a proper survey and assessment of environmental impact. The court also directed states to notify guidelines relating to occupancy certificates and allied regulatory issues. The state govt On Sept 4, 2025, issued a notification aligning with the order but deviated from one key point. The Clause X of the order in the state-specific notification was missing which says that all directions of the order must be scrupulously followed and failure to do so will be viewed seriously with departmental action being initiated against the erring officials as per law. A contempt petition on the deletion later filed in the apex court contended that the state’s framework did not faithfully reflect SC’s directions.The Barjatya ruling has since become central to a wider national debate on building compliance. In the Loganathan case, which originated in Tamil Nadu over commercial use of residential properties, SC expanded the matter into a pan-India exercise on March 25, 2026, bringing municipalities of all state capitals under its scrutiny.During a subsequent hearing on May 20, 2026, BMC submitted an affidavit identifying 153 properties allegedly involved in such violations. The court directed states and urban local bodies to furnish action taken reports on sealing, demolition and enforcement measures, apart from reporting on the implementation of the Barjatya judgment. It also asked appellate and quasi-judicial authorities to dispose of related matters within three months.The proceedings gathered momentum after the recent fire incidents in commercial establishments in Lucknow and New Delhi triggered concerns over safety compliance in buildings being used contrary to sanctioned plans. At the subsequent hearing on July 9, SC took a stern view of unauthorised constructions and reportedly expressed disapproval of routine compounding or regularisation of violations.Real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan questioned BMC’s disclosure of only 153 properties before the court. “The number does not reflect the actual extent of violations in Bhubaneswar. A comprehensive survey is required to identify unauthorised constructions, occupancy certificate violations and commercial activities in residential buildings,” he said.
