Haryana Suspends Allotment of 768 Flats After Discrepancy in Applicants’ Town
The Haryana government has put a halt to the allotment of 768 affordable flats in Sohna, after an unexpected and suspicious pattern emerged in the applicants’ locations. All successful applicants for these flats were found to be from Sohna or had listed the town as their address on the online portal, raising concerns over the fairness of the e-draw system.
The issue came to light after a draw for 708 units in Sector 36, Sohna, was conducted on January 27, 2025, with 51,586 individuals from across various regions, including the National Capital Region (NCR), applying for the flats. However, the results revealed that every single successful applicant hailed from Sohna, leading to immediate scrutiny. The situation prompted the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) to put the allotment process on hold, pending further investigation. Amit Khatri, Director of the DTCP, issued an order suspending the allotment of flats and directed an inquiry into the issue. The department has tasked the Chief Town Planner, DTCP (IT&M), with investigating the e-draw process and submitting a detailed report within ten days. The move is aimed at ensuring the transparency of the online portal and resolving any potential technical errors that may have caused the anomaly.
The affordable housing policy of Haryana, introduced in 2016, allows developers to construct affordable housing projects at a fixed cost set by the state government. Flats in such projects are priced at approximately ₹5,000 per square foot, making them accessible to lower- and middle-income families. However, the policy does not provide any preferential treatment for applicants from specific towns, a fact that makes this situation particularly alarming. Renuka Singh, Senior Town Planner in Gurugram, explained that the irregularities were first spotted by her office. She pointed out that the discrepancy might have occurred due to a technical glitch in the online system, where applicants from Delhi and other parts of Haryana who had listed Sohna as their town on the application forms were also selected. “A committee has been formed to investigate the matter. We suspect that the issue may have arisen due to a software error,” Singh said. Further investigation into the situation will aim to determine whether this was an isolated incident or part of a broader problem affecting the integrity of the online portal. BK Saini, Chief Town Planner of IT, DTCP, also confirmed that an investigation was underway, with findings expected in the coming days.
The incident has sparked concern among the public, especially given the affordability of these flats, which were being allocated through a highly competitive online system. Many of those who applied, particularly residents from outside Sohna, may feel that they were unfairly disadvantaged by the apparent technical error. The Haryana government’s affordable housing initiative has been widely lauded for its efforts to provide budget-friendly homes to a growing urban population. However, incidents like this threaten to undermine public trust in the system. The state authorities are now under pressure to ensure that the issue is rectified swiftly and that future allotments are handled fairly and transparently. While the halt in allotment is a necessary step to maintain fairness, the matter highlights the challenges that can arise in the digitalisation of public services. As the investigation progresses, all eyes will be on the DTCP to ensure that corrective measures are implemented to prevent similar issues in the future.
