Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Thursday that the Center is examining whether to make durability certification mandatory for buildings, citing recent court orders directing demolition and reconstruction of buildings declared unfit to live in as evidence of the quality crisis in construction.
He said: “Some cases have recently come to light where many buildings were declared unfit for habitation, and the court even ordered them to be demolished and rebuilt. This is shocking. It causes a very big loss, a national loss, and also a loss for the entrepreneur.”
Speaking at the real estate industry’s Bharat Buildcon 2026 event in New Delhi, Khattar said the government is conducting an administrative review to determine whether ‘durability certification’ should be made mandatory under which every building meets an approved standard for structural durability. He said: “We are studying administratively whether to make the “sturdiness certificate” mandatory… so that there is a certified durability system for every building, so that the consumer can be assured that the building is safe and secure.”
He added that while construction standards are improving, most buildings are designed for a lifespan of between 60 and 70 years, and that project requirements must establish life expectancy – whether 50, 100 or 500 years – in balance with affordability.
Khattar pointed to the new Parliament building, Kartavia Track and upcoming Kartavia Bhawans as government projects where durability, construction technology and quality of materials received special attention.
Airspace policy under consideration
Khattar also noted that the government is exploring development rights in the airspace above transit corridors as part of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy. TOD is an urban planning strategy that brings together housing, jobs and amenities around public transit stations with easy walking and cycling reducing the need for motorized transportation.
He said the government had directed maximum housing to be built within 500 meters of railway and metro corridors across the country, and was now examining whether builders could be given airspace rights over railway tracks, metro lines and roads.
“Air space rights should be granted to construction companies, so that we can construct ten or more buildings on top of railway lines, metro tracks and roads, if our technology and standards allow,” he said, adding that land currently constitutes the largest component of the project costs, and that removing land restrictions is the purpose of the “extended political action” being carried out. He said the government would seek industry views on the proposal.
Workers stopped financing on-site housing
The Minister also announced plans to use funds accumulated under the Construction Workers Levy to support temporary housing for construction workers on project sites.
“One of the decisions we have taken is that for contractors who provide temporary housing to workers on construction sites during the construction period, we are preparing a plan to provide assistance from this support to cover the cost of setting up such housing in the camp sites. We will share the details with you very soon,” Khattar said.
