Haryana unveils online process in affordable housing

To ensure complete transparency in the process of affordable housing, right through applying for a unit to paying the booking charges, draw of lots, allocation and refund, the entire process has gone online. The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has launched a portal, in the wake of several complaints about developers charging a premium against the allocation of flats to homebuyers. The application forms are available at the developer's office and a few government offices, including DTCP and Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran. The applicant has to submit the completed application form with 5% of the unit cost to the developer. But many developers have been allegedly charging a premium from the applicants against confirmed allotment, in complete violation of the norms. With the online draw, the possibility of a developer charging a premium from the applicants is nil. The applicants will get a message on their mobile phones as soon they are selected in the draw of lots. And they can make the payments online. Another major issue with the manual system was the slow refund process as unlucky applicants had to wait for months for a refund of the application fee (5% of flat cost). Through the online system, the refund will be processed within two to three days. In Gurgaon, there are currently 91 affordable housing projects at different stages of construction.