DDA housing scheme 2019: Dream come true for lucky ones; few takers for Narela flats

Rajni Devi, a resident of Ballabgarh in Haryana, was over the moon when her name came out in the draw of lots of the DDA Housing Scheme 2019 on Tuesday, as it was her dream to own a home in Delhi. "I was at a bank near the Vikas Sadan, when I got a call from my family that my application has been picked up in the draw. I commute daily from Ballabgarh to Delhi for work, this means a lot to me," an overjoyed Devi told PTI.

Devi, in her early 20s, said in the past she has lived in rental accommodations here, but owning a house in the national capital is a "tall order". Her acquaintance Arun Babu, who lives in Palam Colony, however, had no luck in any of the DDA schemes he had applied for, including the DDA Housing Scheme 2019. "I had applied in the 2014 scheme, the one before that and several years before that as well, but Lady Luck has not smiled on me. This time too, I was unlucky," he said.

The DDA held the draw of lots for its Housing Scheme 2019 at Vikas Sadan here, for which only 10,294 flats were put on offer, out of the original kitty of nearly 18,000 units. Even in the final draw of lots, out of 10,294, only 8,438 flats were allotted in various categories from 45,012 applicants, a senior DDA official told reporters.

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Saroj Yadav, an applicant in the disabled category, was the first one to be picked up as an overall successful allottee, and got an MIG flat on ground floor in Vasant Kunj. Ved Prakash Thakur was the first successful allottee in the general category, who got a flat on the fifth floor in Vasant Kunj. As soon as the draw was completed, the DDA website faced issues as a large number of people were accessing it at the same time.

Ankur Varshney, 36, a third-time applicant for DDA housing schemes, was hoping to get "third time lucky" but could not know what fate held, as the website was down. "I had a dream last night in which I saw Sai Baba of the temple at Lodhi Road and Oreo biscuits nearby it. So, I offered Oreo biscuits at the temple before coming to DDA headquarter at Vikas Sadan. I am just hoping my prayers would be answered," he told PTI, before leaving the DDA premises.

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Raj Rawat, a resident of Ghazipur in Delhi, was a first-time applicant in the scheme this year. "DDA houses are affordable, have market and other facilities nearby, and all done through legally approved processes, so it is very good option for middle-class people like us," he said, as he anxiously waited to see the final list of the draw. "I came here at 11 am, I couldn't sleep properly, getting butterflies in my stomach. Hope I get through," he said in the afternoon.

Of the 45,012 final applicants, 36,409 belonged to General category, 5,021 Scheduled Castes and 2,025 Scheduled Tribes and 97 war widows, among others, the senior official said

Gurdev Singh, who was also among the many applicant who kept waiting at the DDA headquarters, said, "I have been applying since 1997. I live in Vasant Vihar and I run a transport business. Once again, I am here for the draw and I hope that this time the odds are in my favour".

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Another applicant Vinay Kapoor, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, said, "I went to DDA with a friend who had applied for a flat in Vasant Kunj. I had first applied in 1978 and was allotted a flat in Janakpuri in 1982".

The scheme, which is completely online had ended on June 10, and was originally for sale of nearly 18,000 newly-built flats in Delhi's Vasant Kunj and Narela residential areas. However, the DDA received few applications for flats in Narela, forcing it to curtail the total number of flats on offer.