No corruption in housing project, allotment to continue: DDA

Ruling out any irregularity in the process of allotment of flats in its housing project, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said on Monday that it would continue the allotment and follow "thorough scrutiny" to ensure no fake applicant gets the benefit.
    
Already in the thick of a controversy after it conducted the lucky draw for the allotees, DDA said it was open to probe by any investigating agency.
    
"There is not even one per cent irregularity in draw of lots for the flats," DDA's housing commissioner Esma Menzar said here.
    
She said that the housing agency has not started the process of allotment of the flats and it would check the documents and certificates of the successful applicants twice.
    
"We will verify case by case before issuing the demand letters and final allotment. I can assure that not a single fake or bogus person will get the benefit," she said.
    
Menzar said the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police is investigating complaints that it received on December 16 that some property dealers had connived with DDA officials and applied for flats under fictitious names to get flats under SC/ST quota.
    
"The EOW has asked for information about those who had applied under the reserved category. We are readily cooperating with them," she said.
    
"In case of reserved quota, we will check the documents twice. We will check with the officials who have issued them caste certificates to ascertain that these people are genuine applicants under the reserved group," Menzar said.
    
The Delhi Police has asked the civic body to furnish details of flats allotted under the SC/ST quota.
    
The project came under scanner after it was alleged that five successful applicants had the same address and mobile number and belonged to the same district.
    
"You can verify our records. Each of them had different address and PAN card and photo. Somebody has issued a doctored list to the media," DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar said.
    
Regarding the allegation that three persons in the name of Pankaj Gupta were selected for the flats in the lucky draw, she they were genuine cases.
    
"There were 36 applicants named Pankaj. These three Pankaj Guptas are three different persons and have different photos, PAN cards and addresses," she said.
    
Asked about allegations that some tribal persons from remote villages in Rajasthan, who did not know about DDA, were selected in the draw of lots, she said, "nothing can be said at this moment. Things will be clear after the probe."
    
She said DDA had taken all precautions to check any wrongdoing in the draw.
    
"However, as there were six lakh applicants, it was not possible to check the documents and certificates one by one before the draw. In three months time, it was not possible to do that," Dhar said.
    
Asked how property dealers could get the mobile numbers and contact details of the successful applicants, she pleaded ignorance.
    
"The information was also available with banks. We cannot say now how it was leaked," she said.
    
The successful applicants will be asked to submit an affidavit to prove their identity and to submit fresh photos, Dhar said.
    
If anybody is found to have submitted forged documents, his allotment will be cancelled, the deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh will be forfeited and a criminal case will be registered against the concerned person, Dhar said.
    
Anticipating that there may be certain fake applicants, the DDA has also brought out a waiting list of 200 persons.
    
"In case of any rejection after finding irregularity, the flats will go to wait-listed candidates," she said.
    
In view of the allegations, the allotment process may be delayed further. By January 31, the checking of documents of the first lot of successful applicants will be completed, she said.
    
Dhar said DDA had found fake applicants during its previous housing project also.
    
"Their deposit money was forfeited," she said.
    
The DDA has also recommended to the government that the successful allottees in reserved category should not be allowed to sell their property to any person from the general category.
    
The agency has already dispatched refund cheques of Rs 1.5 lakh to the people who were not selected in the draw.