No Commercial Plan, No Trade Licence: BMC Cracks Down on Unauthorised Property Use

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has tightened its rules for issuing trade licences, making valid approval of a commercial building plan mandatory for properties being used for business purposes.
The civic body has stopped issuing trade licences to applicants who are unable to submit an approved plan permitting commercial use of the property. The new rule has been in effect for the past three weeks, according to BMC Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Ajaya Kumar Mohanty.

Under the revised system, applicants applying online through the BMC or Bhubaneswar One portal will have to upload valid plan approval documents for commercial use. Properties that already have the required approval will not face any difficulty in obtaining a trade licence.
The BMC has also directed property owners, including households using residential premises for commercial activities, to submit the necessary documents. Officials warned that trade licences may be suspended if valid commercial plan approval is not produced, along with other action as permitted under the law.
The move follows the Housing and Urban Development Department’s notification of September 4, 2025, and a recent Supreme Court directive calling on municipal authorities to act against unauthorised constructions and deviations from sanctioned building plans.

As part of the crackdown, the BMC has identified 4,632 plots and asked the owners to submit approved building plans and other statutory documents related to commercial use of their residential properties within four weeks.