Govt admits illegal constructions across major tourist hubs like Gulmarg, Pahalgam
Jammu, Apr 01 : The government on Wednesday said over 800 building permissions have been granted by Tourism Development Authorities across Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years, even as illegal constructions continue to surface at several key tourist destinations.
In response to MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para’s query, Tourism Minister, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said a total of 807 permissions were issued between 2023 and 2026. The number stood at 245 in 2023-24, dropped to 147 in 2024-25 and rose sharply to 415 in 2025 -26.
Residential houses accounted for the majority of approvals at 544, followed by 121 commercial buildings. Permissions were also granted for 26 hotels, 14 huts and two guest houses.
The government also flagged a significant number of illegal and unauthorised constructions across tourist hubs, with enforcement action underway.
In Gulmarg, 21 illegal structures were identified, including 20 sealed and one demolished. Pahalgam reported 28 such constructions, with thirteen sealed and action ongoing in remaining cases.
At Patnitop, 15 illegal structures were demolished and several others stopped at an initial stage. Verinag recorded four unauthorized constructions that were penalized.
Doodhpathri emerged as a major concern with 147 illegal constructions, where notices were issued and FIRs registered. Sonamarg reported five cases, while 358 notices were served in Bhaderwah.
The government said enforcement measures include sealing, demolition, penalties and legal action, with further proceedings underway in several cases—(KNO)
