The Pune MHADA lottery for 4,462 homes faces another delay after the Maharashtra Information Technology Corporation’s online system was shut down from 4 pm on Friday for system upgrades and data-centre migration. The services are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, October 20, disrupting document verification and the submission process for applicants.
The Pune Board has been accepting registrations and applications for homes made available under the 15 per cent Social Housing Scheme and the 20 per cent Inclusive Housing Scheme. The registration and application sale-and-submission process began on August 14 and has already received three extensions because of technical problems.
Under the latest schedule, applicants can register and submit applications until October 22, while the lottery is scheduled to be held on December 4. However, the temporary shutdown of the state government’s online service system is expected to further slow the pre-lottery process, including verification of applicant documents.
Applicants may still be able to register and complete parts of the application process during the shutdown, but document verification will not take place. As a result, applications cannot be fully submitted with the required deposit amount where verification is pending, according to the report by Civic Mirror – Pune.
Document verification for around 11,000 applicants was already pending with the Pune Board before the latest interruption. The board had planned to complete verification of applications received under the third extension and publish the list of eligible applicants for the draw. The system shutdown is expected to add to the backlog and could make it difficult to meet the existing October 22 deadline.
Applicants have reportedly faced technical difficulties while filling in forms for around 15 days. Problems in the MahaIT computer system have slowed the verification of documents and contributed to the earlier extensions granted by the Pune Board. The latest shutdown has now affected the same stage of the process that was already facing delays.
The interruption also highlights how the delivery of subsidised and inclusive housing increasingly depends on shared digital systems rather than on the housing authority alone. Registration, document checks, application acceptance and eligibility lists are linked to the availability and performance of the state’s online infrastructure. Any planned maintenance or migration therefore has direct consequences for applicants waiting to complete a time-bound housing process.
A senior Pune Board official told Civic Mirror – Pune that the number of applications awaiting verification could increase substantially because of the shutdown. The official also questioned how and when the pending documents would be processed once services resume.
Pune Board Chief Officer Rahul Sakore said the issue would be discussed with the MHADA vice-president before a final decision was taken on any further extension. The board is expected to decide whether the October 22 deadline and the December 4 draw schedule can be maintained after the MahaIT system is restored.
