Parliamentary Committee Criticizes Delhi Development Authority's Shortcomings in SC/ST Appointments and Housing

A parliamentary committee has raised concerns about the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) failure to address vacancies in reserved positions for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), as well as issues related to insufficient housing allotments. The committee highlighted the DDA's halt on recruitment, awaiting approval to slash its workforce by more than half, affecting SC/ST opportunities.

The report tabled in Parliament revealed significant vacancies in various groups, with over 1,100 SC and 700 ST positions unfilled. The committee criticized the DDA's explanation of 'non-availability of eligible candidates' and urged immediate fulfillment of promotion quotas. Despite no reported caste discrimination cases, MPs called for an online complaint system and better accountability for grievance handling.

Regarding housing, the panel criticized the DDA for allocating only a fraction of flats to SCs and STs in the past 25 years. Issues of poor scheme uptake were linked to high cancellation rates. Recommendations included price relaxations, EMI options, and aggressive advertising campaigns to improve the uptake of both housing and commercial units reserved for SC/ST communities.

(With inputs from agencies.)