DDA housing scheme for 2016 to be announced soon.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is likely to announce its 2016 Housing Scheme very soon and in what could be good news to many, it might do away with the five-year lock-in period this time.

The proposal of DDA’s latest scheme is going to be discussed in the authority’s meeting scheduled to be held on Thursday. “Almost all the ground work for the scheme is already done and once the proposal is approved in the meeting, we will be able to announce its launching date,” said a senior DDA official who didn’t wish to be named. “The scheme is likely to be launched by the end of November or in the month of December 2016,” he said.

According to sources in DDA, the housing scheme proposal also contains the plan to do away with the five year lock-in period clause, which was introduced in its 2014 housing scheme for the first time. According to the clause, an allottee of a housing scheme flat can’t sell it till five years from the date of possession. The clause was introduced to dissuade speculators from applying for the scheme and to ensure that only genuine buyers apply. It is not uncommon for successful applicants to sell off their flats right after taking possession and sometimes right after allotment itself.

DDA plans to offer around 12,000 flats in its latest housing scheme, most of which are one-bedroom flats and are located in areas such as Rohini, Dwarka, Narela, Vasant Kunj and Jasola. Out of these, 10,000 are unoccupied flats from the 2014 scheme, while 2,000 are other flats that have been lying vacant.

For the first time, DDA plans to make the entire process of the housing scheme online, from buying the brochure to payments for the flats. This would mean no more long queues outside the DDA headquarters and also enhanced transparency in the entire process.

THE HINDU