A Mumbai construction halt ordered by the defence ministry is set to stop work near defence establishments wherever developers have not obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the local military authority. The direction applies even where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or other government agencies have already cleared the projects.
The Mumbai construction halt has hit the suburban belt around ordnance depots hardest. Industry representatives say the order could stall well over a hundred projects in Malad and Kandivali alone.
Mumbai construction halt: what the defence NOC order says
Maharashtra's urban development department (UDD) wrote to the BMC commissioner on Wednesday, 4 November, asking the civic body to carry out the ministry's direction. According to reports, the letter said work on projects approved without the local military authority's NOC must be stopped at once.
The UDD letter also asked that the ministry's NOC guidelines be followed "in the larger interest of safeguarding the security concerns of the armed forces", according to the Times of India report carried by ET Realty.
170-plus projects in Malad–Kandivali
Yomesh Rao, president of the Practising Engineers, Architects & Town Planners Association (India), said more than 120 projects in Malad–Kandivali are at various stages of construction. At least 50 more are in the pipeline, and some old buildings on those sites have already been demolished.
"This uncertainty has been lingering for more than 16 years now," Rao said, adding that nobody seemed sure what exactly was required. He warned that both builders and families who had booked homes in these projects would bear the impact.
A long dispute between the state and the defence ministry
The order came in reply to a letter the UDD sent the ministry last month. In it, additional chief secretary Aseem Kumar Gupta argued that permissions granted under the state's development control regulations become "committed development", which makes it hard for the BMC to withdraw them.
Gupta's letter also said there was no operative defence ministry circular on NOCs. It argued that planning authorities need not insist on one unless the Works of Defence Act, 1903, or another law requires it. The ministry rejected that reading and said its NOC guidelines still apply.
The friction is not new. In 2024 the BMC declined to issue a stop-work notice to a Godrej Properties project on Akurli Road in Kandivali East, even after the Army's Central Ordnance Depot objected that the site was within 500 metres of its perimeter wall.
Rules near naval installations have also changed more than once. In January 2023 the ministry reduced the restricted construction zone from 500 metres to 50 metres. That relief was later kept in abeyance, and redevelopment near Army and Navy sites has faced hurdles for years.
What it means for you
If you have booked a flat in an under-construction project in Malad, Kandivali or another area near a defence establishment, ask the developer in writing whether the project holds a local military authority NOC. Check whether the project's MahaRERA page shows any change in the completion date.
Residents of old buildings waiting for redevelopment near defence land should expect further delays until the state and the ministry agree on the rules. Buyers looking at new launches in these pockets should treat the defence NOC as a key document to check before paying a booking amount.
Neither the BMC nor the defence ministry has published a list of affected projects. The number of sites that actually stop work will depend on how the civic body applies the UDD's direction.
Sources
- ET Realty: Defence ministry orders immediate halt to construction projects near defence establishments in Mumbai — published 7 November 2026.
- Free Press Journal: Mumbai Real Estate On Edge: Defence Ministry Orders Halt To Construction Without Military NOC; 170+ Projects In Malad-Kandivali At Risk — published 6 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why has construction been halted near defence sites in Mumbai?
The defence ministry has directed that projects near defence establishments must stop if they lack a no-objection certificate from the local military authority, even if the BMC or other agencies have approved them. Maharashtra's urban development department has asked the BMC to implement the order.
How many Mumbai projects are affected by the defence NOC order?
Yomesh Rao of the Practising Engineers, Architects & Town Planners Association (India) said more than 120 projects in Malad–Kandivali alone are under construction, with at least 50 more in the pipeline. No official count has been released.
What is the 500-metre rule near defence land in Mumbai?
Defence guidelines have restricted construction within 500 metres of some installations. A 2023 relaxation that cut the zone to 50 metres near naval installations was later kept in abeyance.