M A I N   N E W S

HUDA officers to be just a call away soon
Department to go hi-tech
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Jan 20 — Following the virtual globalisation of Gurgaon, the local office of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is contemplating to go high-tech.

This should come as a happy tiding for the HUDA plot holders staying across the world.

The work likely to be replicated in other parts of the state in a phased manner.

The HUDA authorities are in the process of putting on ground an elaborate range of services through the integrated computerised voice system (ICVS) to streamline the administration, economise the time of the officials and the allottees and promptly redress the problems of its clients. The plan, still being fine-tuned on the drawing board, is likely to come into effect shortly.

The local Administrator, HUDA, Mr Anurag Agarwal, who is the man behind the move, told TNS that the plan envisages installing a centre in the HUDA complex having an easy-to-remember telephone number from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT). The centre will be operational round the clock.

The operation system will be as follows: A prospective client having a problem calls up the number. A computerised voice inquires about his problem. It then guides him about further steps like registration of his problem and the particulars of the plot. The problems could be of any nature, ranging from sewage, no objection certificate, status of HUDA’s dues from him, etc. The voice then says that his problem will be redressed in 24 hours after the registration of the details. If a problem cannot be redressed within the stipulated time, the voice will guide him to meet the officer concerned.

The friendly voice will also help him by giving the designation and telephone number of an officer. If the problem is still not solved, it may be brought to the notice of the office of the Administrator through the same ICVS.

The proposed system is similar to the services rendered at some centres in the country that help commuters know the reservation status and the arrival and departure of the trains.

Besides injecting transparency in the system of administration, the proposed move will also help HUDA collect its dues, especially from the commercial plot holders, which could tot up to about Rs 12 crore.

The proposed move is likely to have teething problems as HUDA does not have the data base of its plots and owners. Even though HUDA office will make itself accessible to the plot holders, its employees will have to work manually till the exercise of preparing the data base is completed.

The working of the present system in the HUDA department facilitates property dealers to have a field day by acting as touts and intermediaries. The reason is that a large number of the plot holders are not locals. It becomes a tedious and frustrating exercise for them to make visits to various offices in the HUDA complex for getting even routine jobs done.

However, some observers are sceptical. They say it is the same officers who will be operating in the high-tech ambience. Will the high-tech change their attitude?

Incidentally, the proposed measure comes on the heels of a novel scheme, called the “HUDA Efficient Service Camp”, launched last Wednesday, for prompt redress of the problems of the allottees. Under this scheme, a camp would be held in the Administrator’s office every Wednesday, where officers would be present to attend to the problems of the allottees.