HC seeks Guj's reply on scrapping of online draw of houses

The Gujarat High Court today issued notices to the state government over its recent decision to cancel allotment of affordable houses made through an online draw by the state Housing Board (GHB).
A total of 73 allottees, who had won houses through the online lottery, have filed petitions over two days, including today, challenging the decision of the state government to scrap the draw on June 19.
While 34 allottees moved the high court yesterday, 39 others filed their pleas today.
Justice K M Thaker issued notices to the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department and GHB seeking their replies by July 11.

"The respondent, Gujarat Housing Board shall positively and without any default file affidavit on or before July 11," the judge said.
"It is clarified that the petition (of the applicants) shall be heard peremptorily on July 11 and hearing will not be adjourned on any ground including leave-note or sick-note," the order said.

The petitioners sought setting aside of the state's decision to cancel the online draw which was conducted by GHB under its affordable houses scheme.
"The state government has the power to cancel the entire affordable housing scheme if any fault has been found but it cannot cancel the draw," the petitioners said.

They contended the state government has taken the decision citing technical errors but this cannot be done when the specific allotment of houses was made to the applicants.
The chief minister had scrapped the online draw of 8,000 affordable homes built by GHB in Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad, after those who were left out held protests alleging anomalies in the allotment.
Many of the applicants had complained earlier that the computerised draw selected only those who filed online applications and not those who submitted their applications in a physical form to GHB office.