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The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued notices to 4,632 residential property owners found to be using their premises for commercial purposes without the required approvals. The action is part of a wider enforcement drive against unauthorised constructions and land-use violations, following directions from the Supreme Court and the Odisha government's Housing and Urban Development Department. Property owners have been asked to submit valid approvals within a month, failing which the civic body may initiate legal action, including sealing of premises.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued notices to 4,632 residential property owners across the city for allegedly using their buildings for commercial activities without the necessary approvals. The move is part of the civic body's ongoing drive to curb unauthorised commercial use of residential properties and enforce planning regulations.
The notices have been served following a city-wide survey and physical verification carried out by the BMC. Officials identified thousands of residential properties where commercial establishments were allegedly operating without permission from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation or the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). The affected properties include offices, shops, hostels, hotels, educational institutions, coaching centres, clinics and other commercial establishments functioning in residential buildings without statutory approvals.
According to the civic body, the 4,632 identified properties are spread across all three municipal zones. The North Zone accounts for 1,712 properties, followed by 1,540 in the Southwest Zone and 1,380 in the Southeast Zone. Property owners whose names appear in the list have been directed to submit approved building plans, occupancy certificates, completion certificates or any other valid permissions that allow commercial use of their premises. These documents must be submitted to the respective Zonal Deputy Commissioner or the Odisha Development Authority (ODA) Court at the BMC headquarters within one month.
The BMC has warned that if owners fail to furnish the required documents within the stipulated period, their properties will be treated as unauthorised and illegal. Such cases may attract legal action under the applicable laws, including closure and sealing of the premises without further notice. The civic body has also clarified that residential buildings being used for commercial purposes in violation of sanctioned building plans or the provisions of the Odisha Development Authorities Act and Planning and Building Standards Regulations will be considered illegal.
The enforcement drive follows directions issued by the Supreme Court, which instructed municipal authorities across the country to take effective action against unauthorised constructions and deviations from approved building plans. The initiative is also in line with a notification issued by Odisha's Housing and Urban Development Department in 2025, which strengthened enforcement against illegal constructions and unauthorised land-use changes.
The latest action builds on BMC's recent crackdown against illegal commercial operations. In the past week, the civic body had also decided to seal 112 residential buildings found to be operating as commercial establishments without the required approvals, indicating a stricter approach towards zoning and building regulation enforcement in the city.
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