More than one lakh applicants for the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority’s housing lottery in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are struggling to complete their applications after repeated failures in the MahaIT system’s barcode verification process. The disruption comes days before the October 15 deadline for applying for 4,462 flats.
Applicants have reported that valid residence certificates, income tax returns and income certificates issued by tehsildars are repeatedly failing verification when uploaded through the online application system. Many have been forced to submit the same documents several times, while some say they have spent days trying to resolve the issue.
MHADA officials said the problem was caused by a technical failure in MahaIT’s computer system and was not related to the housing board’s website. The system uses MahaIT to verify barcodes on residence certificates, income tax returns and tehsildar-issued income certificates before applications can be completed.
MHADA had advertised the 4,462 flats on August 26 and initially set September 30 as the application deadline. The deadline was later extended to October 15 after applicants reported difficulties in obtaining and verifying documents required for the lottery process. The extension, however, has not eliminated the technical problems, according to applicants.
The disruption has created a direct administrative hurdle for people attempting to access a public housing opportunity. Applicants who have obtained the required documents may still be unable to finish their forms if the system does not recognise or verify the barcodes. The issue also requires applicants to spend additional time seeking assistance instead of completing the application process online.
Several applicants have approached the MHADA office directly for help. In response to the growing number of complaints, the housing board has deployed separate staff to handle grievances, with support from its information technology department and other employees.
MHADA officials said they had contacted the concerned MahaIT department and reported the technical problems. MahaIT has indicated that the glitch will be resolved soon. The application deadline for the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad housing lottery remains October 15, according to the information provided by MHADA officials.
