The Jharkhand government has announced a new online portal to regularize encroachments on land, which will bring a ray of relief to thousands of property owners in the state. The idea behind the project is to give legal recognition to some of the illegal buildings that were built without these plans and without the appropriate maps.
The portal has been started based on the Jharkhand Regularization of Unauthorizedly Constructed Building Rules, 2026. State officials said the move will help a lot of homeowners who have been dealing with legal and administrative problems as a result of irregular constructions.
The government says owners of buildings now have the option to apply online to have their properties legalized, with the completion of new applications, which require the submission of a range of documents and payment of a prescribed fee. The digital platform has been launched to make the process more transparent, timely and citizen-friendly.
The scheme is meant to “ease out the complications of the ordinary citizens and to bring better planning in the state”, Minister of Urban Development Sudivya Kumar said. The portal will also help the authorities to maintain proper records of buildings and generate more revenue for urban local bodies, he added.
The policy calls for regularization of mainly residential buildings of up to two stories (G+2). The requirements under the new rules also need to be satisfied for buildings. Authorities stated that structures that are in breach of significant safety requirements, land use laws and regulations, or in environmentally restricted areas may not be able to be approved.
The applicants will be given a period of about 60 days to submit their applications through the portal. The government has also said it would try to get rid of applications within six months. Financial burden on citizens will be reduced by a provision where they can pay the charges for regularization in instalments.
Different fee structures are in place for commercial and residential buildings, officials said. Penalties may be imposed in addition to the application fee, depending on the degree of construction violations.
The government feels that the project will contribute to the resolution of long-standing property issues and the incorporation of illegal constructions into the legal framework. Officials believe that almost five lakh families in Jharkhand could be helped by the scheme.
The state government has stressed, however, that there should not be any indication in the policy to incentivize illegal construction in the future. Authorities have said that any new developments that do not meet building codes will be met with strong action in the future.
The inauguration of the portal is a major step towards digitized governance and planned urban development in Jharkhand.
