The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has advanced its proposal to expand the city's limits by incorporating 72 nearby revenue villages into its administrative boundary. The move follows the receipt of consent from these village communities and aims to improve civic governance, streamline urban services, and facilitate long-term development planning in the city's peripheral areas. The expansion will increase the BMC's existing zones from three to six and enable better delivery of essential services such as sanitation, water supply, and waste management.Read more

In an effort to revitalise dormant industrial assets and streamline construction approvals, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) announced that, from earlier this week, it will extend a 50 % waiver on building licence fees for a year for applications routed via its Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS). The move targets plot?holders and shed-allottees within GIDC-managed estates, urging them to either submit fresh plans or re-submit for reconstruction or expansion. Compliance with building codes, statutory norms and environmental requirements remains mandatory as the corporation seeks to convert idle industrial land into productive facilities.Read more

The Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UP RERA) has approved six new real estate projects across five districts of the state, involving a total proposed investment of around INR 863.94 crore. The projects, located in Bareilly, Kanpur Nagar, Noida, Lucknow, and Varanasi, will collectively add nearly 1,470 residential and commercial units. Most of these are residential developments, while the projects in Lucknow and Noida are commercial. The initiative is expected to generate local employment and stimulate growth in allied industries.Read more

The Supreme Court of India has directed the formation of a one-member independent committee to examine a long-pending housing project in Greater Noida, near Delhi. The project, allotted in 2004 to Golf Course Sahkari Awas Samiti (earlier JP Greens Employees Sahkari Awas Samiti) by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), has left hundreds of allottees waiting nearly two decades. A former judge of the Allahabad High Court has been appointed to head the committee, which must report within four months. The panel is tasked with identifying genuine allottees, restoring the lease where possible, and charting a time-bound completion strategy.Read more

VK Paul, NITI Aayog member, called for a collaborative effort between the government and private sector to develop an affordable home care model for seniors. He suggested combining traditional medicine with telemedicine and technology for comprehensive care at home, including sensitivity to women's health. Affordability was highlighted as a key principle. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava noted the government's goal to create a predictive and preventive health system by 2047 and cited PM-JAY, which has facilitated over 10.5 crore hospitalisations so far.Read more

Industrial associations in Goa have voiced strong opposition to the allotment of ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants within established industrial estates, citing dust emissions and slurry spills that impede operations of sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food processing and electronics. Though RMC units fall under the green/white category as per the Goa State Pollution Control Board, they reportedly generate conditions inconsistent with 'clean manufacturing' needs, prompting the bodies to press for regulatory review and insistent of relocation possibilities.Read more

Earlier this week, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) directed all owners of buildings aged over 30 years to carry out structural audits through registered engineers and submit reports confirming their safety. A recent civic survey identified 513 structures as dangerous under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act. Property owners who fail to comply by March 2026 could face fines of up to INR 25,000 or the equivalent of their annual property tax, whichever is higher, along with potential evacuation orders.Read more

The Supreme Court recently highlighted significant gaps in India's property registration system, noting that disputes over immovable property make up around two thirds of civil cases. It asked the Law Commission to examine blockchain technology for secure and tamper?proof land records, integrating cadastral maps, survey data, and revenue records. In a separate development, the NCLAT set aside insolvency proceedings against Mahagun India Pvt Ltd, emphasizing project-specific review and due process, which impacts thousands of homebuyers and ensures developers and lenders can address defaults fairly.Read more

The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, has appealed to the Central government for enhanced support in infrastructure, education and connectivity across the state. He reminded that the establishment of an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Nagaland had been announced in the Union Budget for 2015-16 and that the state has allotted 200 acres of land for it. He also underlined that with only eight km of rail line currently in Nagaland, the proposed 250 km Dimapur-Tizit rail link and the proposed Ciethu Greenfield Airport in Kohima need to be prioritised. Rio further highlighted the state's mineral potential, the absence of national-level institutions like an IIT or National Law University, and the impact of the re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit regime in December 2024.Read more

Delhi has stepped up pollution controls as air quality fell into the severe category, prompting the enforcement of stage three of the Graded Response Action Plan. This includes halting non-essential construction and curbing industrial emissions. The measures follow public protests demanding cleaner air and a rise in crop stubble fires, though these incidents are fewer than in previous years. Dense winter air often traps pollutants from vehicles, industries, and fires, exposing the city's 30 million residents to high respiratory risks. Authorities aim to prevent further deterioration.Read more