DDA'a draw leave some ecstatic, others heart-broken

For over five-lakh Delhi residents, it was one of the most eagerly awaited day as the city's housing agency came out with the final list of successful applicants of its much hyped 'DDA Housing Scheme - 2008'. VIEW LIST

For over five-lakh Delhi residents, it was one of the most eagerly awaited day as the city's housing agency came out with the final list of successful applicants of its much hyped 'DDA Housing Scheme - 2008'

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Since Monday morning, it was a heavy affair at DDA's Vikas Sadan headquarter with a large number of people seen in front of its reception office.

Officials said people were seen queuing up as early as 8 am to know about their fortune.

DDA security staff found it difficult to manage the crowd as many of them seen engaged in heated arguments with applicants. By noon, a good crowd of around 10,000 people gathered at its headquarter giving security personnel a tough time.

DDA put up a live screen in front of its reception so as to allow the crowd watch the results live. According to a DDA spokesperson, it was done to provide transparency and fairness in the results as in a single hall, it's impossible to accommodate such a huge crowd.

"The process was totally transparent as the jury for the computerised draw of lots included senior bureaucrats, professors from IIT and media professionals."

However, some of the applicants resorted to protests as they alleged that despite promising total fairness, the entire process was a closed door affair.

After the protesters started shouting slogans, security personnel were deployed in and around the DDA office.

"We were not allowed inside the building. That is really unfair. They held it very secretly," said Sanjoy Khajuria, who is fourth time unlucky to win a DDA flat.