E-Paper
NIC flags chinks in PUDA website, chief secy cracks the whip
The NIC report also revealed that the PUDA portal, where properties worth crores are auctioned. lacks encryption during data transmission, two-factor authentication for bidders, and database logs provided to PUDA are not routinely reviewed
After the National Informatics Centre (NIC) flagged security concerns on the Punjab government’s e-auction site, chief secretary Anurag Verma shot off a strongly worded letter to the officers of the housing and urban department and directed them to take corrective measures.
The NIC, the Centre’s technology arm, had highlighted in a report that the official website of Punjab Urban planning and Development Authority (PUDA), where the e-auctions of properties worth crores of rupees are carried out, has not had a security audit since 2017. As per the mandate, security audits of government websites are to be carried out every year.
The website https://www.puda.gov.in/, also hosts the e-auctions of Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), Patiala Development Authority (PDA), Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) and Amritsar Development Authority (ADA).
The report revealed that the portal lacks encryption during data transmission, two-factor authentication for bidders, and database logs provided to PUDA by the agency are not routinely reviewed.
Since the auctions of even small plots run into crores, the secrecy of bidders is crucial to increase competition in bidding.
The chief secretary, in the letter addressed to special secretary and chief administrator, PUDA, Apneet Riyait, and GMADA chief administrator Rajiv Gupta issued directives to ensure that e-auctions of all properties conducted on the platform/system are fully secure. This, he said, is crucial to maximise revenue and maintain the integrity of the e-auctions.
When asked about these directives, chief secretary Anurag Verma said, “The chief minister has instructed all departments to ensure utmost transparency in government functioning, which is why these strict instructions have been issued.”
A senior officer from the housing and urban development department, speaking anonymously, suggested that e-auctions for GMADA, PUDA, and similar authorities may be paused until the portal is fully secured according to NIC guidelines, as no official wishes to be accountable for any lapses.
