DDA's new housing scheme likely to be launched in Feb

New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority's new Housing Scheme with 12,000 flats on offer is now likely to be launched next month, with the delay being blamed on "lack" of basic infrastructure in "few pockets" falling under the scheme. The scheme was earlier expected to be launched around January 26. "We had a January target but people were reeling under the immediate impact of demonetisation and so bank transactions were getting difficult to come buy," a source said. A senior DDA official, when contacted said, "Certain pockets of areas falling under the scheme lack basic infrastructure around flats like link roads, street lights, and so we will address these issues. The new scheme should be out sometime in February." Out of the total number of flats, most of them in Rohini, Dwarka, Narela, Vasant Kunj and Jasola, 10,000 unoccupied flats are from the 2014 scheme, while 2,000 are other flats which have been lying vacant," a senior DDA official said. Sources said most of the flats are one-bedroom LIG flats from the last housing scheme and no new flat is on offer this time. "About 10,000 are LIG flats from 2014 DDA scheme. Unlike EWS (Economically Weaker Section) last time, in this scheme there would be no such category," the official said. "For LIG category the registration fee would be Rs 1 lakh while for MIG and HIG it would be Rs 2 lakh," he said. "Application forms would be available both online and off line," he said. From application to refund, the DDA this time had planned to make the scheme an online affair to reduce the long queues of flat buyers at its headquarters. "A big number of citizens either still do not have access to technology or are not tech-savvy. So, we decided to keep both the options," he added. Scheme 2014 offered 25,040 flats across categories, with prices ranging between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 1.2 crore. The online response was so massive that DDA's official website had crashed soon after the launch. The one-bedroom flats were offered in Dwarka, Rohini, Narela and Siraspur areas.