Delegated Legislation and Urban Development Regulation: A Professional Analysis of the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025

Published for: Valuers’ Chronicle / Professional Institute Journal (CEV Group)

1. Background and Context

The Government of Punjab, through Notification No. G.S.R. 195 dated 15 December 2025, has brought into force the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025 (PUBR 2025). Issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, these Rules have been framed by exercising delegated legislative powers conferred under multiple urban and municipal statutes.

For Registered Valuers, Engineers, Architects, Town Planners, Insolvency Professionals, and valuation aspirants, this notification represents a crucial regulatory development. The Rules seek to establish a uniform and harmonised building control framework across urban local bodies and development authorities in Punjab—an area that has historically suffered from fragmented and overlapping regulations.

This article examines the notification from a professional, statutory, and valuation-centric perspective, aligning with the knowledge requirements of valuation practice and regulatory compliance in India.

2. Delegated Legislation: Relevance for Valuation and Engineering Professionals

In Indian administrative law, delegated legislation enables the Executive to frame detailed rules within the boundaries of authority granted by the Legislature. For professionals engaged in valuation and engineering practice, such rules are not merely procedural instruments but determinants of legal permissibility, compliance risk, and asset value.

Delegated legislation must satisfy the following conditions:

• It must be traceable to a valid enabling provision in the parent Act
• It must operate within the legislative policy and objectives of the statute
• It must be reasonable, non-arbitrary, and consistent with constitutional principles

The Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025 clearly fall within this framework, being framed to operationalise development control and building regulation provisions under several parent enactments.

3. Enabling Statutes and Legal Authority

The notification draws authority from the following Acts:

(a) Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995
Section 180 read with Section 43(2) empowers the State Government to frame rules governing planned development, building control, and land use regulation.

(b) Punjab Municipal Act, 1911
Clause (zzz) of Section 240(1) authorises municipalities to regulate erection, re-erection, and use of buildings within municipal limits.

(c) Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976
Section 262(2)(a) provides statutory backing for uniform building regulations within municipal corporations.

(d) Punjab Town Improvement Act, 1922
Section 73 enables the framing of rules for regulated development in areas under improvement trusts.

By invoking these statutes together, the State Government has adopted a consolidated legal approach, reducing jurisdictional inconsistencies that directly affect project feasibility and valuation certainty.

4. Need for Unified Building Regulations

From a professional standpoint, multiple building bye-laws across authorities resulted in:

• Divergent development parameters for similar assets
• Delays and uncertainty in sanctioning processes
• Increased litigation and regularisation disputes
• Difficulty in assessing compliance status during valuation and due diligence

The PUBR 2025 addresses these issues by introducing a single, standardised regulatory framework, which is particularly beneficial for valuers assessing assets across different urban jurisdictions within Punjab.

5. Salient Regulatory Themes (Professional Overview)

Although technical details are extensive, the Rules broadly provide for:

• Uniform definitions of occupancy, building categories, and development control terms
• Standard norms for FAR/FSI, ground coverage, height, setbacks, and parking
• Mandatory provisions relating to structural safety, fire protection, and public safety
• Increased reliance on digital approval systems and professional self-certification
• Integration of building rules with master plans and zoning regulations

These aspects are critical inputs in valuation assignments, especially under regulatory frameworks such as IBBI, SARFAESI, Companies Act, and banking valuations.

6. Implications for Registered Valuers

For valuation professionals, the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025 have direct and measurable implications:

• Compliance with sanctioned plans becomes central to determining legal permissibility
• Deviations and non-compliance now have clearer benchmarks, reducing subjective interpretation
• Risk assessment relating to demolition, sealing, penalties, or regularisation becomes more objective
• Market value, fair value, and liquidation value assessments gain greater regulatory clarity

Unified building norms strengthen the connection between regulatory compliance and asset value, which is a foundational principle in professional valuation practice.

7. Engineering and Technical Practice Perspective

For engineers and architects, PUBR 2025 provides:

• Predictability in design parameters across municipal and development authority areas
• Reduced discretionary decision-making in approvals
• Clearly defined professional responsibility in certification and compliance

Such uniformity supports ethical practice and reduces professional exposure to regulatory disputes.

8. Judicial and Administrative Law Considerations

As delegated legislation, the Rules remain subject to judicial review on grounds such as:

• Ultra vires the parent statute
• Manifest arbitrariness or unreasonableness
• Conflict with constitutional protections relating to property and equality

Indian courts have consistently upheld building regulations that further planned development, safety, and public interest, indicating strong legal backing for unified regulatory frameworks such as PUBR 2025.

9. Conclusion: Professional Significance

The Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025 mark a decisive step toward regulatory coherence in urban development. For the valuation and engineering community, these Rules are not merely statutory text but practical instruments influencing feasibility, compliance, and value determination.

Professionals and aspirants must develop a working understanding of such delegated legislation, as regulatory literacy is now an essential component of competent valuation and engineering practice in India.

This article is intended for publication in professional journals and knowledge platforms associated with the CEV Group and Valuers’ Chronicle, focusing on regulatory awareness and best practices in valuation and engineering.