New VC, apps, HQ interior: Highlights of 2015 for DDA

A slew of mobile phone applications seeking to bring in greater transparency and ease in consumer grievance redressal and a new vice-chairman at the helm of the affairs were among the major highlights for DDA this year.
The Delhi Development Authority had in November launched four applications including one for receiving feedback from allottees for its housing schemes, steps which were in conjunction with the new leadership to leverage technology for the best.
Three of the applications were about giving feedback on sports complexes and golf courses, community halls and housing schemes, while the fourth was for DDA's internal project monitoring.

"Under 'construction' feedback, parameters such as seepage, condition of doors, windows, water supply, condition of sanitary, facade of the building, lifts etc can be given; whereas under 'maintenance' head feedback on parameters like grit wash, roof condition etc., can be given," a senior DDA official had said on the day of the launch.
The apps are available for download on the official DDA website. Besides, people can register their grievance online as well, as the housing authority has provided web links for the same on the website as well.
"DDA 2014 Housing Scheme-related feedback can be given as of now. And, since some of the possession of DDA 2010 housing scheme are yet to be given, they can also use the new facility," DDA's Director Systems V S Tomar said.

The second mobile app allows people to give feedback about the quality of services being offered by DDA in its community halls, the DDA said.

DDA has about 100 community halls under its jurisdiction in various localities.
But for DDA, 2015 wasn't just about new apps, as the housing authority also got its new vice-chairman Arun Goel at the end of July, succeeding bureaucrat Balvinder Kumar, who was transferred to Ministry of Mines on July 1.
Goel, a Punjab-cadre IAS officer, took charge as the DDA chief on July 31 after a month-long vacancy of the urban body's top post following Kumar's transfer.

No sooner had Goel assumed charge as the vice-chairman,
the senior IAS officer had outlined the urban body's vision of leveraging technology for benefit of people.
He has helmed the top post since then with a vision to improve public interface by revisiting procedures of various transactions of DDA and also by making the housing authority more responsive and accountable through regular feedback.
"We want to increase accountability by leveraging technology and fixing timelines. We want to act as a bridge between citizens and the departments concerned, and these initiatives are steps in that direction," Goel had told reporters in September in his first press conference as VC.

During the year, Delhi's premier land-owning agency also sought to revamp its headquarters 'Vikas Sadan' at INA, giving facelift to its old infrastructure and jazzing up its corporate office with the latest facilities.
Among the apps, the third application allows feedback on sporting facilities under the urban body.
"19 parameters for various sports disciplines, available in the sports complexes, and also including the condition of toilets, snack bar etc, have been created. All these parameters have several sub-parameters where ratings can be given as 'good', 'satisfactory' or 'poor'," the official said.
Seeking to curb land encroachment and effect speedy removal, the DDA in October had also launched a new mobile application to allow the housing authority to keep a tab on vacant lands under its jurisdiction.