DDA's next housing scheme could be completely online

New Delhi: From "application to refund", the DDA is mulling making its next housing scheme a completely online affair to reduce the long queues of flat aspirants at its headquarters.

"Yes, talks are going on to make the next DDA housing scheme fully online. Last time we had received over 10 lakh applications, both online and offline, but this time we are thinking of making it totally online," a senior DDA official told PTI.

Delhi Development Authority is slated to come out with its next housing scheme in December.

As per recent reports, about 11,000 flats are to be offered under Housing Scheme 2016. Sources said, a large chunk of these may include flats surrendered by owners to DDA, which works under the Urban Development Ministry.

Former DDA Vice Chairman Balvinder Kumar had in January 2015, however, said the "new scheme would be much larger than the 2014 project, and will include at least 24,660 LIG flats."

The government last week said, over 40 per cent of the houses allotted by the DDA under its Housing Scheme 2014 have been surrendered or cancelled with some allottees complaining about the size of the flats and locality.

"The DDA has informed that out of 25,039 flats for draw of lots in the Housing Scheme 2014, 10,653 flats have been surrendered or cancelled," Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

"We are in talks with certain vendors for upgrading our infrastructure to handle the expected increase in traffic, but nothing finalised yet. But, we are technologically capable of handling the online rush," he said.

The draw of lots for 10,08,985 applications, the highest in DDA history, was held on November 25. For the first time the urban body had also webcast the draw process.

The flagship Housing Scheme 2014 offered 25,040 flats across categories, with prices ranging between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 1.2 crore.

In 2014, the online response was so massive that the DDA's official website crashed soon after the launch. The one- bedroom apartment flats were offered in Dwarka, Rohini, Narela and Siraspur areas.

"We would upgrade our technical infrastructure but the number of applicants are likely to be less this time round as not everyone has online reach. But, we will equip our set up so as to handle the augmented traffic," he said.

"From in line (queues), we want to bring people online," the official said.