Jammu North | Thathar | Zone-II
A major building plan deviation has allegedly surfaced in Ward No. 63, Thathar (Tehsil Jammu North), where a G+3 Hostel project approved under Application No. JMC/2025/9988 (Order No. BP/ORDER/JMC/2025/6839) is now under serious public scrutiny.
The case has triggered strong concerns regarding the inspection, enforcement, and monitoring mechanism of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).
Approved Plan vs Alleged Ground Reality
As per the sanctioned building permission:
- Ground Floor Approved: 480.69 Sqm
- Floor 1 Approved: 471.73 Sqm
- Floor 2 Approved: 471.73 Sqm
- Floor 3 Approved: 471.73 Sqm
- FAR: G+3
- Maximum Height: 15 meters (slab level)
- Ground Coverage: 29.78%
- Land Use: Hostel (Residential Land)
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However, local sources allege that all upper floors have been constructed identical to the ground floor area (~480 Sqm each) instead of restricting Floors 1, 2, and 3 to 471.73 Sqm as approved.
If confirmed, this would mean:
- Excess construction of approximately 8–9 Sqm per upper floor
- Cumulative built-up area increase across three floors
- Direct impact on sanctioned FAR and compliance norms
This is not a technical error — it would amount to a clear structural deviation from the approved building plan.
Possible Legal Violations
If the allegations are accurate, the construction may violate:
1 Section 253 of the J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000
- Mandates issuance of Stop-Work Notice upon unauthorized deviation
- Empowers authorities to order demolition or sealing
2 Unified Building Bye-Laws (ULB) – J&K, 2021
- Strict adherence to sanctioned plan mandatory
- No increase in built-up area without revised approval
- Compulsory stage-wise inspection before granting further slab permission
3 FAR & Coverage Compliance Rules
- Any increase beyond approved floor-wise area affects the legally sanctioned FAR
Serious Questions to the Commissioner
This case raises direct administrative and accountability questions for the Commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation:
- Was a physical site inspection conducted at each construction stage?
- Were measurements verified before approving subsequent slabs?
- If deviation started from Floor 1, why were Floors 2 and 3 allowed?
- Why was no Stop-Work Notice issued under Section 253?
- Did the Enforcement Wing conduct mandatory supervision?
A four-storey RCC structure cannot expand floor-wise unnoticed unless inspection was inadequate or enforcement failed.
Stage-Wise Permission: Procedure or Formality?
Under municipal law, slab approval is granted only after stage-wise verification and compliance confirmation.
If the upper floors were expanded beyond approved dimensions, it indicates either:
- No proper survey was conducted,
- Measurement discrepancies were ignored, or
- Enforcement mechanisms failed at multiple levels.
Any of these scenarios points toward serious governance lapses.
Public Demand for Transparency
Residents of Ward 63 are demanding:
- Immediate re-measurement by a senior technical team
- Disclosure of stage inspection reports
- Fixing responsibility on concerned officers
- No Occupancy Certificate until full compliance
- Strict action under Section 253 if violation confirmed
The Bigger Question
Is the law applied uniformly — or selectively?
Are stage-wise permissions being granted mechanically?
Are deviations being ignored until completion?
The credibility of urban regulation in Jammu is at stake.
Now, all eyes are on the Commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation.
Will there be decisive action — or administrative silence?
