12,000 applications for ownership in lockdown

nNEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has received nearly 12,000 applications under PM-UDAY for ownership rights from residents of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the Capital since March 22, when the lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is more than double the number of applications the land-owning agency had received in the first three months after the scheme was launched in December 2019.

The Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY) is aimed at benefiting four million people living in 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the Capital.

Officials said DDA has received 11,922 applications from property owners between March 21 and July 17, 2020. Just 4,573 people had submitted their applications between December 16, 2019 (when the scheme was launched) and March 20, 2020. “Due to Covid-19, the field survey process was put on hold while we were accepting applications online. We have further simplified the online process due to which there was a huge jump in the number of applications,” said a senior DDA official.

But the process to clear applications has been rather slow. DDA officials say that while they are receiving applications online, they couldn’t process them due to the lockdown.

DDA vice-chairman Anurag Jain said, “We are working on streamlining the system so that more applications can be processed at the earliest. For this, we are planning to rope in more field surveyors. We are also roping in an agency to provide an alternate way to register under the scheme. Currently, people can either fill the application online on their own or through our five processing centres. This will be an alternate way. We are also sending messages to RWAS in unauthorised colonies telling them about the process.”

In the last eight months, 938 property owners have been given either conveyance deeds or authorisation slips of which 251 were cleared after June 1. A DDA official said, “Even now, we have instructed the field teams to follow all norms and guidelines issued by the Centre and the Delhi government regarding Covid-19 while doing the measurement of the property. We are not processing the applications which are in containment zones right now.”