Apply online for freehold property

Owners of flats and group housing societies developed by the Delhi Development Authority will soon be able to convert their plots from leasehold to freehold on the authority’s website.

This facility on the DDA website was launched by union urban development minister Kamal Nath on Friday.

“This is a major milestone. People used to visit me complaining about the long procedure involved in conversion and the problems they faced in offices. Though there is a time limit fixed for the conversion, it never happened,” said Nath. “The online facility will make the process transparent and streamlined.”

“This is just the beginning. While a million people will instantly benefit from the initiative, more people will be able to use it when the facility is extended to other property owners,” he said.

Freehold is a method to transfer property ownership from a government authority to a private party. Properties have been changing hands without actual transfer of ownership taking place, due to which buyers were unable to get loan or leverage from their property as a source of revenue.

DDA officials say people will benefit from the facility as they will be able to apply online from anywhere across the world. “Hundreds of people visit the DDA office to apply for conversion every day. Apart from applying online, they will also be able to track the status of disposal and rectify discrepancies by e-mails,” said DDA vice chairperson Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava.
The applicant will have to visit the DDA office during the deed execution process and to submit original documents, Shrivastava said. Currently, the time period for conversion is fixed at 45 days from the date of application.
The list of all properties that are eligible for freehold will be uploaded on the DDA website.