Wait for DDA flats ends

The Authority will hold a draw of lots on Monday for its November 2010 housing scheme; results to be uploaded on website

Wait for DDA flats ends

The Authority will hold a draw of lots on Monday for its November 2010 housing scheme; results to be uploaded on website

The wait for owning a flat in the Capital will be over for a lot of Delhiites on Monday morning. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will hold a draw of lots on Monday for 16,000 flats it had offered under a scheme in November 2010.

Dream draw: The DDA officials said that they had received 7.53 lakh
applications this year. File pic

The DDA officials said that they had received 7.53 lakh applications for the flats located in areas like Vasant Kunj, Mukherjee Nagar, Motia Khan, Jasola, Dwarka, Rohini, Narela, Jaffarabad, Kondli and Gharoli. The flats are one, two and three bedroom types with the prices ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 1.12 crore.

"The results of the draw, the biggest ever in the history of DDA, will be uploaded on DDA website and published in newspapers a day after," a DDA official said. The allotment is likely to take place by the end of the year.

When asked about the allegations of irregularities that had cropped up during the last draw of lots of the previous housing scheme, the DDA officials said this time all necessary checks and balances have been put in place. "The draw is being held in a transparent manner in the presence of independent observers from diverse fields," said a DDA official.

For the first time, the draw will not be held at DDA headquarters but at the office of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Noida.

"The draw is being held in Noida due to the fact that the number of applicants and the number of flats being allotted under the scheme is high as compared to earlier schemes. CDAC has better wherewithal and expertise to conduct the draw of such a magnitude and it is not possible to transport the equipment from there," the official said.

'Reserve flats'
Two applicants, who were shortlisted in the DDA housing scheme of 2008 but are yet to be allotted a flat, had moved the Delhi High Court recently. The court has asked the DDA to provisionally reserve a flat for each of them.

Last week, the Delhi High Court had admitted a plea challenging the DDA's decision to carry forward 172 extra flats that were available under the 2008 scheme and merge them with the 2010 scheme. The applicants cried foul, pointing out that the 172 flats were meant for those on the waitlist and not for the 2010 scheme. The HC also issued notice to the housing body asking it to explain its stand by April 19, and asked it to reserve a flat each for the duo.