DDA website crashes as 'Housing Scheme 2014' launched; 25,034 flats up for grabs

New Delhi, September 1: The highly-anticipated 'Housing Scheme 2014' of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was launched on Monday at the Vikas Sadan, its headquarters , as locals and people from neighboring states stood in long queues to buy the application form on the very first day.

About DDA Housing Scheme 2014

The biggest-ever flagship DDA scheme has offered total 25,034 flats ranging from various categories like 1 BHK flats, 2BHK flats and 3 BHK flats.

The 2014 scheme offers flats ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore across categories -- EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, Janta flats and one-room apartments.

"We are offering 25,034 flats in the scheme, out of which 22,627 are one-bed room apartments," Balvinder Kumar, Vice- Chairman, DDA, said.

After launching the brochure of the DDA housing scheme 2014, a senior official told media persons that the draw would start after 15-20 days from the last date of the application forms.

For the first time, DDA has introduced 5-year lock-in-period so that the buyers cannot sell the flat at least till 5 years and to cut out middlemen and reduce the scope of speculative buying.

"After five years, the DDA will formally execute a conveyance deed in their favour," the DDA official said.

DDA flats locations

The flats are located in areas such as Rohini, Jasola, Mukherjee Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Narela, Dwarka, Dilshad Garden and Paschim Vihar.

People can fill the application forms online till October 9, 2014, Thursday.

DDA has tied up with 13 banks

DDA has tied up with 13 banks from where applications forms can be purchased and submitted.

The empanelled banks are Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Syndicate Bank, Union Bank of India, Indusland Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank Ltd, Yes Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.

The applicants will have to submit registration fee of Rs 10,000 for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category flats and Rs 1 lakh for 2BHK and 3 BHK flats.

Those who won't be able to make up the to the "lucky list" of draw of the flats, would be fully refunded of their registration fee, within 15-20 days after the draw is announced.

The urban body also for the first time had proposed a 80-20 quota in this scheme, but that proposal which sought to offer 80 per cent flats to Delhi residents has been scrapped.

DDA is offering 700 flats for EWS category, which are part of the housing complex at Swatantra Bharat Mills premises on Rohtak Road. The flats have been developed by a private builder as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the DDA and the builder.

DDA flats prices

The EWS flats priced from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 11 lakh, the urban body said. Over 800 old flats located under different categories are also being offered, on account of them being cancelled or surrendered. These flats (older) consists of 21 HIG flats, 49 MIG, 451 LIG, 129 expendable and 161 Janta flats.

The cost ranges from Rs 1.2 crore for HIG flats to Rs 5.4 lakh for Janta flats, the DDA said. The DDA had earlier said that the total number of flats on offer was over 26,000 but today said the figure has been revised to over 25,000.

For the first time, DDA has also decided to do away with attachments along with the application forms and now only a photocopy of PAN card would be needed for the new one-page form, Kumar said. There is no income limit on one-bedroom apartments and any eligible candidate can apply.

For EWS category, there will also be an option to pay the cost of the flats in installments, she added.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any Indian citizen, 18 years of age and above on the date of filing of the application for the flats is eligible for the scheme.

"In its last scheme, 'DDA Housing Scheme 2010', there were 11 lakh applications for 15,000 flats," a DDA spokesperson said, adding, "To curb black-marketing of forms, we have restricted the number of purchase to only two for each buyer".

First day, long queues of flat buyer hopefuls, DDA website crashes

On the first of the launch of the scheme, the DDA site crashed following a massive online response, much too the dismay of those who wanted to apply for the flats on the first day.

"Soon after the launch, we received over 5 lakh hits on our official website, following which it has crashed. Efforts are on to restore the service," a senior DDA official said.

The one-bedroom apartment flats are in Dwarka, Rohini, Narela and Siraspur areas, priced above 14 lakh onwards, depending on the location and plinth area, the DDA said.

Out of 896 newly-built flats, 512 are MIG flats and 384 Janta flats, located in Mukherjee Nagar, Narela, Rohini and Kalyan Vihar areas.

The MIG flats would range from Rs 41.30 lakh and Rs 69.90 lakh and the Janta flats - one room tenement with a kitchentte - would cost a little over Rs 10 lakh, it said.

"Nearly 20 lakh applicants are estimated to apply for this scheme and therefore we have printed about 15 lakh forms and brochures so far. But, if needed, we can print more.

DDA flats- Dream of many people

The DDA scheme is a dream of many people, who want to own a home for themeselves in the national capital.

For 53-year-old M S Bisht, who hails from Nainital but has been a long-time resident of New Delhi, is hoping to be "lucky this time".

"I have applied three times for DDA flats but all in vain so far. I am hoping to be lucky this time," Bisht, who lives in R K Puram in a government flat, said as he stood in the queue.

Mukesh Kumar (52), another applicant who came from Meerut to buy the form on the very first day, said, "I want to return to Delhi." "I used to live in Delhi on rent but then there were some problems and I had to shift to Meerut. Now, I wish to return as my children are settled," he said.

70-year-old V S Tripathi, who retired as an officer in the defence department, is also keeping his fingers crossed this time as his previous bids to get a DDA flat have been unsuccessful.

"I hail from Kanpur and I have always wanted a DDA flat but no success so far," he said.

For housewife Babita from Moti Bagh area, who hails from Bihar, a house in Delhi means "a step towards a prosperous future".

"Growth is happening in big cities and therefore, we are seeking future for us in cities like Delhi. No development is taking in small towns, what options do we have," she said.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)