Haryana Sets Up Probe Panel for All Affordable Housing Project Allottees from One Area

                Gurgaon: Haryana govt has formed a four-
member committee to investigate the e-draw 
mechanism used for affordable housing 
allotments after it emerged that all 708 
residential units 
at Sector 36 that were on offer went to 
residents in Sohna. The committee has now 
been directed to examine the portal and 
submit a report within 10 days.
The allotments have been put on hold.
The move comes after the draw conducted on 
Jan 27 was found to have allocated all flats 
exclusively to applicants from Sohna, violating 
Affordable Housing Policy 2013 guidelines.
The panel will carry out a thorough 
examination of the e-draw system to 
determine if the lapses stemmed from a 
technical glitch or is an administrative error. It 
will also probe whether 
there was a deliberate bias in the allotment 
process.
The committee comprises chief town planner 
(IT&M), senior town planner (E&V), senior town 
planner (Gurgaon) and project manager (IT 
HQ).
The draw was conducted for an affordable 
housing project being developed by 4S 
Developers under licence number 235 of 2023. 
Though 51,586 people applied for 708 flats, 
allotments to beneficiaries exclusively from 
Sohna town raised eyebrows.
According to clause 5(ii) of the policy, while 
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 
beneficiaries are prioritised, the policy doesn't 
specify any preference of a particular town for 
the 
draw. The senior town planner (Gurgaon) 
flagged this discrepancy, leading to an 
immediate review.
The department of town and country planning 
(DTCP) On Feb 13 issued orders to cancel 
allotments and conduct a fresh draw following 
the policy guidelines. Also, the e-draw 
software is now under scrutiny to ensure its 
compliance with state-wide eligibility criteria.
The dispute has raised questions about clarity 
and fairness in Haryana's affordable housing 
allocation process, with numerous applicants 
expressing doubts about transparency.
Director of town and country planning Amit 
Khatri in his order said, "The draw conducted 
for affordable housing project in Sector 36, 
Sohna stands cancelled and instructions have 
already been issued to the senior town planner 
to get the fresh draw conducted. The matter 
needs to be enquired and test run of the 
software needs to be conducted to ensure its 
functioning in accordance with the policy 
norms"
As the committee begins its probe, 
homebuyers and stakeholders eagerly await its 
findings, which will determine if the problem 
was a technical malfunction, human oversight 
or an 
intentional manipulation.
Reshma, a resident of Delhi who applied for a 
flat in the Sohna project, said, "I applied for this 
project hoping for a fair chance, but now it 
seems like the system was rigged. How can 
all selected applicants be from Sohna when 
thousands from across Delhi-NCR have 
applied? The govt must ensure transparency in 
the fresh."
Arvind Kumar, an applicant from the city, said, 
"Affordable housing is meant for everyone, not 
just people from a particular town. If the 
system is biased, what's the point of applying? 
The govt should take strict action and overhaul 
the e-draw mechanism to prevent such 
irregularities."


Source : Times of India