The Maharashtra government has reclassified two parcels of salt pan land in Wadala, Mumbai, from Natural Area (NA) to Residential Zone (R Zone), permitting construction activities. The 20,318.82 square meters of land will accommodate a gymkhana for the IAS Officers Association and warehouses for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The land is not ecologically sensitive, lacking mangroves or hills, and has been temporarily used by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited. The government has invited public suggestions and objections regarding this land use change.Read more

Prestige Group has set a new benchmark in Hyderabad's real estate market by acquiring an 11-acre plot in Knowledge City for INR 1,556.5 crore through a Telangana government auction. Located in Raidurg, near HITEC City and Gachibowli, the land is ideally positioned for premium office development. The auction, which raised INR 3,135 crore in total, saw strong participation from major investors, reflecting Hyderabad's rise as a global business hub. Prestige plans to expand its office portfolio to 30 million sq. ft. by 2028, aiming for INR 3,200 crore in annual rental income. This acquisition strengthens its position in India's fast-growing commercial real estate landscape.Read more

Karnataka's Land Beat app has identified about 1.5 lakh encroached government land parcels, covering 14.1 lakh acres, through a digital mapping and verification drive launched in early 2024. The tool enables village accountants to geo-fence land, upload photos or videos, and flag encroachments, forming a digital extension of the Jamabandi land record system. Officials clarified that totals may drop after detailed surveys, as even partial encroachments mark entire plots. The project's three-stage process-verification, drone-based measurement, and eviction under Section 104 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act-is nearing completion. In Bengaluru alone, land worth INR 5,000 crore has been reclaimed, while bi-monthly drives and periodic digital updates now sustain continuous monitoring.Read more

Ghaziabad authorities have formed a four-member committee to identify illegal permanent constructions on the Yamuna floodplain in Loni. Led by Additional District Magistrate Saurabh Bhatt, the team includes the SDM of Loni, a zonal officer from the Ghaziabad Development Authority, and an irrigation department official. They are tasked with submitting a report within a month for clearance and action. The initiative follows recurring floods that required the rescue of around 400 people from unauthorized structures this year, highlighting risks from encroachments in flood-prone zones.Read more

Uttar Pradesh is empowering its urban local bodies (ULBs) to approve building maps within their jurisdictions, a step aimed at increasing revenue and curbing unplanned construction. Currently, only housing development authorities can approve maps in regulated areas, leaving peripheral municipal areas without oversight, which leads to traffic congestion, encroachments, and safety issues. Discussions are underway to establish a regulatory framework and necessary resources, manpower, and expertise. Implementing building bylaws across 762 ULBs is expected to take around two years, ensuring planned urban growth and infrastructure management.Read more

Heavy rains in Nepal have triggered deadly landslides and flash floods, killing at least 47 people since Friday and leaving several missing, officials said. The worst-hit area, Ilam district in eastern Nepal, reported 35 deaths, while nine people remain missing and three others were killed by lightning. Across the border in India's Darjeeling, seven people died in landslides. Roads and bridges have been washed away, stranding hundreds, while domestic flights remain disrupted though Kathmandu's international airport is operational. The Koshi River is flowing above danger levels, forcing authorities to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi Barrage. Officials warned that rains may continue until Monday as rescue efforts persist.Read more

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has intensified efforts to stop illegal land sales near the Noida International Airport, targeting fraudulent township projects that mislead investors. The scams involve offering plots on government or agricultural land, often with forged documents and fake site visits to convince buyers. YEIDA has been demolishing illegal constructions, filing FIRs, and planning a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to tackle the land mafia. The authority is also raising awareness among buyers and monitoring social media platforms to prevent further fraudulent activities.Read more

The PM Svamitva Yojana is helping families in rural Andhra Pradesh gain formal ownership of ancestral lands long held without documents. Using drones and rovers, survey teams are mapping properties in villages and Gram Kantham Abadi areas, creating accurate digital records. Families are receiving legal certificates that resolve boundary disputes and unlock access to credit and financial independence. In phase one, 5.18 lakh parcels were surveyed; the ongoing second phase targets 43.22 lakh properties across 5,850 villages by October 31, with a third phase to cover 45 lakh more. The scheme also boosts panchayat revenues by bringing untaxed properties into the tax net.Read more

Earlier this week, the Goa government announced that owners seeking to regularise structures on state or comunidade land must pay based on circle rates, with a 2014 cut-off applied. The cabinet is finalising taluka-wise minimum rates under the 'Majhe ghar' scheme and intends to conclude deliberations rapidly, ahead of a formal launch. Amendments allow owners of unauthorised constructions built before the cut-off to apply, subject to size limits under urban and rural norms.Read more

The Maharashtra government has moved to convert the 6.4-hectare seafront Worli Dairy plot in Mumbai for commercial use. On September 25, the Urban Development Department issued a notification reclassifying the land under DCPR 2034 from residential to commercial, while inviting public objections. The long-unused site-housing the defunct government dairy, staff quarters, and commissioner's office-had earlier been earmarked for research or civic projects. In January 2024, the MMRDA sought control to redevelop the land as a mixed-use node, with CM Devendra Fadnavis approving draft proposals this April. The latest notification paves the way for private leasing and high-value commercial development on this prime coastal parcel.Read more

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) recently carried out a demolition drive in the Belapur division against unauthorised construction after repeated notices were ignored. Acting under the directives of Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde and senior civic officials, the encroachment department organised the action with full deployment of staff, machinery, and police support. Authorities confirmed that similar anti-encroachment operations will be intensified in the future.Read more

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) will conduct an e-auction for the Sahara Bazaar Complex in Gomtinagar on November 10. The complex spans 4,741 square meters and includes around 150 shops. Originally leased to Sahara Housing Corporation in 1987 for 30 years, the lease expired in 2017 and was not renewed. LDA took possession in June 2025 after canceling the lease. The reserve price, initially set at INR 85 crore, is being revised due to increased circle rates. The site will be converted to freehold, retaining its commercial land-use status, allowing redevelopment.Read more

The Punjab cabinet has approved imposing charges on encroachments of village common lands, including panchayat roads and watercourses, with price fixation committees under deputy commissioners determining amounts. Proceeds will be shared between the state and local bodies, and alternate routes provided where needed. The cabinet also cleared amendments to the Right to Business Act to speed up industrial approvals, and sanctioned a special court in Mohali for NIA cases, which will also handle ED and CBI matters. Other decisions included a one-time settlement scheme for rice millers, amendments to the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, and passage of the Punjab GST (Amendment) Bill, 2025.Read more

The Goa government has allowed NBCC (India) Ltd to sell around 1.5 lakh square meters of redeveloped government-owned properties, mainly in Panaji. This comes as part of a INR 1,700 crore project involving seven key government sites, including Junta House, KTC bus stand, Circuit House, and government quarters. The sale proceeds will fund the redevelopment, while the state will retain a significant portion of built-up areas. Construction is planned in phases and expected to finish within three years, supported by additional operation and maintenance funding.Read more

Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started issuing transferable development rights (TDR) certificates to private landowners whose plots were encroached by slum dwellers. The initiative, guided by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, makes Nagpur the first city in Maharashtra to implement such a scheme. Landowners can monetise their rights through TDR sales, while slum families will soon receive government-approved leases. The move settles decades of disputes, provides legal and financial relief to property owners and residents, and follows the broader TDR practices used in Maharashtra's urban redevelopment.Read more

Bhubaneswar has rolled out a detailed action plan to address the encroachment of around 498 acres of government land across the city. Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi revealed that Jaydev Vihar tops the list with 148 acres affected. The government has formed a Central Enforcement Monitoring Committee (CEMC) and is filing cases under the Odisha Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act. Over 11,000 encroachment cases have been registered, impacting key areas including Chandrasekharpur, Jagamara, Dumduma, and BJB Nagar. Eviction drives are ongoing to restore land for public use.Read more

The Telangana High Court has questioned the Rangareddy district collector over alleged illegal construction on Bhoodan lands in Nagaram village, Maheswaram mandal. Despite earlier court directions to maintain status quo and mark the lands as prohibited, boundary walls and other works were reported. Petitioner Birla Mallesh submitted photographs of ongoing activity and said that complaints made in July were ignored. Justice K. Lakshman has now asked the collector to submit a detailed counter and compliance report, with the case scheduled for hearing in the coming weeks.Read more

Rajendra Lodha, former Director of Lodha Developers, is under police investigation for alleged financial misconduct and fraudulent land dealings. Authorities claim he accepted large sums of cash from property transactions over more than a decade and sold company land, including a plot reserved for educational use, to his son's firm without authorisation. Investigators say these actions, along with undervalued sales of land and Transferable Development Rights (TDR), caused losses of about INR 85 crore to the company. His custody has been extended as police pursue forensic audits, gold bar recovery, and verification of money transfers.Read more

Hong Kong shut down this past week as Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world's strongest tropical cyclone this year, swept across southern China. Authorities suspended most flights, closed schools and businesses, and urged people to remain indoors. Panic buying left supermarket shelves empty, while Guangdong province evacuated more than 770,000 residents and prepared to relocate over one million. With hurricane-force winds, torrential rainfall and storm surges forecast, the Hong Kong Observatory warned of conditions similar to previous devastating typhoons Hato and Mangkhut.Read more

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has reclaimed over 300 acres of government land in Gajularamaram, Quthbullapur, valued at INR 15,000 crore. Originally owned by the Andhra Pradesh State Finance Corporation, the land was transferred to Telangana after bifurcation. Following public complaints, HYDRAA cleared unauthorised constructions-demolishing incomplete, fraudulent structures while sparing occupied homes of poor families-and fenced the land to prevent further encroachment. Investigations revealed land-grabbers had illegally sold small plots using fake documents, often with political collusion. Legal cases have been filed against the perpetrators. The action signals a firm stance against encroachment while safeguarding vulnerable households.Read more