After receiving feedback from landowners on its newly launched online land pooling portal for the Aerotropolis residential project (Pockets E, F, G, H, I and J), the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has decided to introduce several new features to make the application process more user-friendly.
The faceless portal, launched on Tuesday, enables landowners opting for land pooling to apply online instead of making repeated visits to PUDA Bhawan. While the initiative has been widely welcomed, applicants encountered technical limitations during the initial days of its roll-out.
According to GMADA officials, around 1,000 landowners have attempted to submit applications since the portal went live, but only about 200 applications have been successfully completed. Around 7,000 applications are expected to be received under the scheme.
Portal to be upgraded by August 11
Land acquisition collector (LAC) Rohit Jindal said the authority had taken note of the issues raised by applicants and the portal would be upgraded, with all pending improvements expected to be fully functional by August 11.
“The changes are being incorporated based on the response received from landowners. Our objective is to make the portal as simple and applicant-friendly as possible,” Jindal said. For the time being, portal developers have increased the session time-out from 30 minutes to two hours which has helped the failure rate reach substantially nil.
{{/usCountry}}“The changes are being incorporated based on the response received from landowners. Our objective is to make the portal as simple and applicant-friendly as possible,” Jindal said. For the time being, portal developers have increased the session time-out from 30 minutes to two hours which has helped the failure rate reach substantially nil.
{{/usCountry}}One of the major concerns raised by applicants was the absence of a draft-saving facility. At present, if a session expires, applicants have to restart the entire process. The upgraded portal will include a secure login system enabling users to save partially completed forms and continue later.
Another feature being added is the option to amalgamate plots up to 2,000 square yards free of cost, in line with GMADA’s latest policy. Although the provision has already been notified, it is yet to be incorporated into the portal.
Applicants will also soon be able to opt for a combination of residential and commercial plots, instead of being restricted to choosing only one category. In addition, every applicant will be allotted a unique PUDA Identification number (PIN) to simplify tracking and processing of applications.
Several landowners welcomed the digital initiative, saying the online system significantly reduced dependence on physical files and repeated visits to GMADA offices to obtain their letters of intent (LOIs). Officials said dedicated help desks continue to function at PUDA Bhawan for applicants requiring assistance with the online process.
Changes not limited to fresh applicants
GMADA has also clarified that the upcoming changes will not be limited to fresh applicants. Landowners who have already successfully submitted their online applications will also be given an opportunity to exercise the newly introduced options. They will be able to opt for a combination of residential and commercial plots, wherever applicable, or avail the facility of free amalgamation of plots up to 2,000 square yards. Officials said no applicant would be disadvantaged merely because they completed the process before the portal upgrades were introduced.
LAC Jindal also invited suggestions from the portal users as its the first-ever faceless online roll-out of letters of intent by GMADA. The weblink is https://puda-citizen-prod-40220923312.asia-south1.run.app
Box:
Features to be added to the portal by August 11
Login and draft-saving facility to resume incomplete applications.
Free amalgamation of plots up to 2,000 sq yards to be enabled online.
Option to choose a mix of residential and commercial plots under land pooling.
Unique PUDA Identification Number (PIN) for every applicant to streamline processing and application tracking.