When the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) launches its next housing scheme, which is expected soon, the long queues of flat aspirants outside its headquarters might be missing.
According to senior officials of the land development agency, the DDA is planning make the entire process of applying for a flat in the housing scheme online.
11,000 flats on offer
The agency is expected to offer around 11,000 flats in its upcoming housing scheme, which is likely to be launched soon. If the plan is implemented, this would be the first time that the DDA will conduct the process of allotting flats completely online. According to sources, the plan was thoroughly discussed in a meeting of senior officials of the agency recently.
“The plan is to make the entire process online, from buying the brochures to applying for flats and payments,” said a senior DDA official. “However, we have to be sure that the online process is carried out without any technical glitch. Though the plan is yet to be finalised, we are definitely thinking in that direction,” he said.
During its previous housing scheme, launched in 2014, DDA had provided the option of buying a brochure from its headquarters Vikas Sadan or downloading it online. In its upcoming housing scheme, the agency might not print brochures at all if the entire process becomes online.
“DDA is already working towards more and more digitisation of works and processes and this will be another step in that direction. If the housing scheme is made completely online, it would ensure more efficiency and transparency of the process,” the official said.
For most Delhiites, the DDA housing scheme is the only option for buying an affordable house in the Capital. That is why the agency receives several lakhs of applications whenever it launches a housing scheme.
In 2014, DDA had offered 16,000 flats, but this time the number is on the lower side as it is not offering any newly constructed flat as part of the scheme.
With its bitter experience of the 2014 housing scheme, when successful applicants complained of unfinished flats being allotted, the agency doesn't want to include any incomplete flat in its latest scheme. That is the reason why even though nearly 60,000 DDA flats are under construction at present, none of these will be part of the scheme.
The flats on offer would include about 8,500 flats of the 2014 scheme that were surrendered by allottees due to different reasons. Apart from this, the DDA is also conducting site verification of its flats that are lying vacant.
DDA Vice-Chairman Arun Goel couldn’t be contacted for comments over the phone and through text messages.
