Latest news with #countryplanning
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Haryana: Affordable housing e-draw portal to be linked with Aadhaar to tackle irregularities
GURUGRAM : Govt's online portal for drawing of lots in affordable housing schemes will directly cross-check and verify applicant details with information in the Aadhaar card to make the process more transparent and eliminate chances of duplication or manipulation. Officials of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) said on Friday that the updated portal – called TCP Haryana – will fetch applicant details such as name, address and mobile number from the Aadhaar card. This will prevent manual data entry errors and manipulation while ensuring that only eligible candidates are considered for allotments. The move comes in response to irregularities uncovered in the 2023 housing draw of Aster Avenue 36 in Sector 36, Sohna. During the draw of lots for 702 flats at the society, those with addresses given as 'Sohna City' were considered eligible for the scheme, limiting the pool to 2,200 entries out of 51,000 applicants. This was blamed on a technical error. Cross-checking with Aadhaar would do away with chances of such errors, officials said. The Aster Avenue draw was cancelled after an internal probe, and a fresh draw was conducted. But 26 applicants were found to have been repeated in both the shortlists, raising more concerns about fairness and the integrity of the system. "Going forward, the Aadhaar-linked system will automatically populate the applicant's details and verify if they have previously been allotted flats under any affordable housing scheme. If found ineligible, their application will be auto-rejected by the system," said Renuka Singh, senior town planner, DTCP. "All past applicant data from earlier schemes is now being integrated into this upgraded software," Singh said. Additionally, the system will prevent any duplicate entries and ensure that no one can bypass eligibility rules. The new mechanism is expected to significantly reduce the administrative burden and potential biases associated with manual data handling. The Aster Avenue 36 matter is currently pending before the Punjab and Haryana high court, and the next hearing is scheduled for July 9. Applicants who were declared successful in the original draw have yet to receive refunds, while allotment letters for 702 flats drawn in the second round remain on hold because of ongoing legal proceedings.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Affordable housing e-draw portal to be linked with Aadhaar to tackle irregularities
Gurgaon: Govt's online portal for drawing of lots in affordable housing schemes will directly cross-check and verify applicant details with information in the Aadhaar card to make the process more transparent and eliminate chances of duplication or manipulation. Officials of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) said on Friday that the updated portal – called TCP Haryana – will fetch applicant details such as name, address and mobile number from the Aadhaar card. This will prevent manual data entry errors and manipulation while ensuring that only eligible candidates are considered for allotments. The move comes in response to irregularities uncovered in the 2023 housing draw of Aster Avenue 36 in Sector 36, Sohna. During the draw of lots for 702 flats at the society, those with addresses given as 'Sohna City' were considered eligible for the scheme, limiting the pool to 2,200 entries out of 51,000 applicants. This was blamed on a technical error. Cross-checking with Aadhaar would do away with chances of such errors, officials said. The Aster Avenue draw was cancelled after an internal probe, and a fresh draw was conducted. But 26 applicants were found to have been repeated in both the shortlists, raising more concerns about fairness and the integrity of the system. "Going forward, the Aadhaar-linked system will automatically populate the applicant's details and verify if they have previously been allotted flats under any affordable housing scheme. If found ineligible, their application will be auto-rejected by the system," said Renuka Singh, senior town planner, DTCP. "All past applicant data from earlier schemes is now being integrated into this upgraded software," Singh said. Additionally, the system will prevent any duplicate entries and ensure that no one can bypass eligibility rules. The new mechanism is expected to significantly reduce the administrative burden and potential biases associated with manual data handling. The Aster Avenue 36 matter is currently pending before the Punjab and Haryana high court, and the next hearing is scheduled for July 9. Applicants who were declared successful in the original draw have yet to receive refunds, while allotment letters for 702 flats drawn in the second round remain on hold because of ongoing legal proceedings. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
E-draw for 708 affordable flats will be held again in Gurugram
GURUGRAM : The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has scrapped the e-draw held on Jan 27 for the allotment of 708 flats under the affordable housing scheme in Sohna Sector 36. The decision to scrap the e-draw — announced through a public notice on Thursday (May 1) — came after alleged "technical discrepancies and regional bias" raised serious concerns over the fairness of the process. A four-member probe panel has already been set up after "technical glitches" hit the Aster Avenue-36 project being developed by 4S Developers Pvt Ltd. A senior DTCP official, who ordered a probe on Feb 13, said on Friday the allotments stand cancelled and a fresh draw will be conducted soon. "Instructions have been issued for a complete review and test run of the software to ensure future draws comply with policy norms," he said. According to the public notice issued by senior town planner Renuka Singh on May 1, the department cancelled the draw after discovering only 2,200 of the 51,586 valid applications were processed by the e-draw software due to a technical glitch. The flawed draw not only excluded a large number of applicants but also raised eyebrows when all 708 flats were allotted to residents of Sohna town alone. This allocation pattern violated the state's Affordable Housing Policy, 2013 which prioritises Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) beneficiaries but does not allow preference based on geographic location. Anamika, an applicant from Delhi, said, "It's unfair that all flats went to one town. The govt must ensure transparency." Arvind Kumar from the city echoed her concerns, saying, "Affordable housing should be inclusive. This issue must not be repeated." Following the controversy, a four-member committee was set up to investigate whether the irregularities stemmed from a technical malfunction, administrative oversight or deliberate bias. The panel, comprising senior officials from the town planning and IT departments, has been directed to examine the e-draw system and submit a report within 10 days. The project, under licence number 235 of 2023, originally received 52,033 applications, out of which 447 were disqualified due to incomplete documents. A DTCP official said, "Applicants who no longer wish to participate in the project can withdraw their applications through the portal ( and receive a full refund. The department assured that the fresh draw will include all 51,586 previously eligible applicants and the date will be announced shortly." The incident has sparked a debate on the need for greater oversight in Haryana's affordable housing allotment system.
