JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government announced on Wednesday that the Tourism Development Authorities have approved 807 building permits over the past three years, while identifying 578 illegal constructions across the Union Territory.
In response to a question from PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para in the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who oversees the Tourism Department, provided the following breakdown: 245 permits in 2023-24, 147 in 2024-25, and 415 in 2025-26.
Abdullah also categorized the permits issued, revealing that 544 were for residential houses, 121 for commercial constructions, 26 for hotels, 14 for huts, and two for guesthouses. Registrations for homestays are managed separately by the relevant Directorates of Tourism.
He added that a total of 2,613 homestays have been registered, offering 19,328 beds.
Regarding illegal constructions, the Chief Minister highlighted that several cases have been observed in prominent tourist areas, leading to actions such as sealing, demolition, and penalties.
Official statistics show that 578 illegal structures have been found in key tourist destinations. For instance, in Gulmarg, 21 illegal constructions were found, with 20 sealed and one demolished. In Pahalgam, 28 illicit constructions were recorded, 13 of which have been sealed while action continues on the rest.
In Patnitop, 15 illegal buildings were demolished, and others were halted early in the construction process, according to the CM.
Further, four unauthorized constructions faced penalties in Verinag, while in Doodhpathri, 147 illegal constructions were flagged, leading to issued notices and registered FIRs.
Five illegal constructions were also discovered in Sonamarg, with 358 notices issued in Bhaderwah.
CM Abdullah updated that GIS-based inventories of authorized constructions are being maintained in tourist hotspots like Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam, where approved Master Plans are in place. In areas lacking such plans, geo-coordinates of proposed projects are being collected before permit grants to enhance monitoring and regulatory oversight.
On the topic of audits, he mentioned a special audit regarding illegal constructions in Pahalgam conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2025, with its report pending. In Sonamarg, audit and vigilance inquiries have been undertaken, though the findings have yet to be formally reported to the department.
