WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has notified a uniform 21-day timeline for providing 20 public services, including various building-related No Objection Certificates (NOCs), licences and permissions, under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011.
The General Administration Department (GAD), through two separate notifications issued on October 7 and October 8, 2026, specified the designated officers responsible for delivering the services as well as the first and second appellate authorities in case of delay or denial.
The notifications have been issued under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, which provides for time-bound delivery of notified public services. In the notification dated October 8, the government listed 18 services across nine departments, with 21 days prescribed as the stipulated timeframe for every service. In the Revenue Department, the notified services include NOCs for building permission regarding land-title verification from the Revenue Department, NOCs from the Nazeer Department and NOCs from the Custodian Land Department.
The designated authorities include the concerned Assistant Commissioner Revenue/SDM, Assistant Commissioner (Nazool) and Deputy Custodian, with the respective senior officers designated as appellate authorities. The Forest Department has been assigned four categories of building-related NOCs, including permissions involving forest land, wildlife, the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, and the Pollution Control Board. The stipulated timeframe for each is 21 days.
The Cooperative Department has been assigned NOCs for building permission from the J&K Sainik Cooperative Society and the J&K Cooperative Society. The notification also covers an NOC for building permission from the Department of Provisional Rehabilitation Officer (PRO) under the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction. Under the Jal Shakti Department, the government has fixed a 21-day timeline for NOCs concerning building permission for irrigation and flood control and for public health engineering works relating to water pipelines.
The Power Development Department has been included for NOCs for building permission from the PDD regarding power cables. The Culture Department will process NOCs for building permission involving heritage buildings or monuments, while the Public Works Department (R&B) will process NOCs for building permission from the department. Three services have also been notified under the Housing and Urban Development Department—NOCs for building permission from town planning organisations in Jammu/Kashmir, the Srinagar Development Authority and the Katra Development Authority.
Separately, the GAD’s October 7 notification brought two services of the Home Department under the time-bound mechanism. These include the grant or renewal of licences for possession or sale of substances defined as poisons under the Poisons Act, 1919 and the rules framed under it, and the grant of licences for sale, manufacture and possession for use of explosives/fireworks by the District Magistrate under the Explosives Rules, 2008.
Both services have been assigned a 21-day stipulated timeline. The concerned District Magistrate has been designated as the officer for providing the services, while the Divisional Commissioner concerned has been designated as the first appellate authority and the Administrative Secretary of the Home Department as the second appellate authority. The orders also specify the appellate hierarchy for the various services, allowing applicants to approach higher authorities where the designated service is not provided within the prescribed timeframe.
The notifications have been issued by the General Administration Department, with the orders signed by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government M. Raju, IAS. The October 8 notification is dated October 8, 2026, while the Home Department notification is dated October 7, 2026.
