The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on August 04, 2026, issued the Draft Dalhousie Cantonment Building Bye-Laws, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• The proposed Bye-Laws are intended to regulate building and development activities within the limits of Dalhousie Cantonment and will come into force upon their final publication in the Official Gazette.
• The Bye-Laws prescribe a comprehensive framework for building permission, construction, alteration, addition, occupancy and regulation of unauthorised construction. Building works would require sanction from the competent authority, and applicants shall submit the prescribed notices and documents, including a Notice of Commencement (Form D) and Notice of Completion (Form E). After completion, the Chief Executive Officer is required to inspect the building and may issue a Completion-cum-Occupancy Certificate (Form F) where the construction conforms to the sanctioned plan and the applicable requirements. Building sanctions may be revoked where they were obtained through false statements, misrepresentation or concealment of material facts, or where construction deviates from the sanctioned plan; the applicant shall, however, be given a reasonable opportunity of being heard.
• The draft also introduces a zoning framework, dividing Dalhousie Cantonment broadly into Zone I – Notified Civil Areas, covering areas such as Balun Bazar, Kashmiri Mohalla, Tibeti Mohalla, Bhattian Mohalla and New Bazaar, and Zone II – other areas outside Zone I, which would generally be treated as a low-density zone. It further provides for regulation/compounding of existing unauthorised constructions, subject to the Cantonments Act, applicable rules and restrictions relating to FSI, setbacks and ground coverage. The prescribed completion documentation also requires certification regarding provisions such as water harvesting and wastewater recycling systems.
• The comments/suggestions should be submitted by September 03, 2026.
[Notification No. - S.R.O. 37(E)]
