3,000 luckiest get BDA flats through lottery

Shekhar B K, who works at a puncture shop in KR Puram, always wanted his own home, and now his dream has come true. He is a proud owner of a one-bedroom BDA flat in Valagerahalli.

“I have finally got a place of my own. I am not well-educated, I will ensure that all the money which I used to spend on rent every month, will now be utilised in the education of my two sons. I am happy I have got a flat in my first attempt itself,” Shekhar said.

He paid Rs 34,500 as initial deposit for the flat and will now have to pay the rest of the amount, Rs 8.2 lakh in eight instalments.

Similar is the story of N C Asha. Her dream has come true after eight years. The physically challenged woman had first applied for a site in 2011, but was unsuccessful. She then applied for a two-bedroom house in Nandini Layout and got it. She paid an initial deposit of Rs 93,750 and has been told that the flat costs Rs 12 lakh.

As many as 3,000 people were given flats at the BDA head office on Thursday, through the first-ever lottery system, introduced by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for allotment of flats. The process of allotting flats through lottery was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He also launched Drushti software, which provides spatial database and infrastructure details. 

BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhat said that as many as 1,806 one-BHK, 962 two-BHK and 506 three-BHK flats were given. The notifications were made for the flats. Those who had applied in the first notification have already got flats – 640 in Valagerahalli and 168 in Nandini Layout. The rest were awarded on Thursday.

He said those who applied in the second notification got flats on the first-come first-served basis and in the lottery; and flat numbers were issued to them. Applicants of the third notification got flats through lottery system. 

Further, those who were unsuccessful to get flats in the lottery will be the preferred ones for the next lottery, next year, along with fresh applicants. 

Bhat said that during the second notification, of the 466 people who had applied for 2BHK homes, 443 have got them. In case of 3BHK, as many as 469 applied and 122 were given flats through lottery. In the third notification, 1,306 applications were received for 2BHKs, of which 519 were given; and 758 applications were received for 3BHKs, of which 384 flats were provided through lottery.