The housing body will verify account numbers by depositing Rs 1 at first, may disqualify applicants who fill in wrong bank account details in the form
Here is a piece of advice for those planning to apply for the next Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) lottery for affordable flats, make sure that you enter the correct bank account number or you could face disqualification.
Beware: MHADA officials are mulling over disqualification of applicants providing them with incorrect bank account details. File pic
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In order to end the woes MHADA officials face while reimbursing the earnest money deposit (EMD) -- amount paid by applicants to earn eligibility for MHADA flats -- the housing authority has decided to deposit Re 1 in the accounts of applicants to verify whether the account numbers provided by them are accurate. They, however, said the final decision for disqualification would be taken before the announcement of the lottery.
MiD DAY had reported in June (‘MHADA can’t refund Rs 10 cr online because of applicants’ mistakes,’ June 13) on how the housing authority’s attempt to repay deposits for 2012 lottery ran into many goof-ups as applicants failed to provide accurate bank details, forcing MHADA to refer to paperwork.
An official claimed that due to the wrong account information provided by the applicants, MHADA is yet to disburse Rs 10 crore back to the them. “Had the applicants mentioned right account numbers in their forms, we would have deposited money into their accounts by now. The wrong information has delayed the reimbursement process,” the official said.
It was learnt that about 3,000 people who had applied for the recent lottery are yet to receive their respective EMDs. Sources claimed that about 85 applicants were reimbursed twice, of which only one returned the extra money voluntarily.
Officialspeak
Commenting on the new initiative, Niranjan K Sudhanshu, chief officer of MHADA (Mumbai Board), said, “We find it difficult to return the money of a particular applicant if he or she has mentioned the wrong account number.
So we have decided to deposit Re 1 at the start itself to verify whether the account numbers are right or wrong. This will not only save our time, but will also help people get their money quickly.” u00a0
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