New Delhi, A parliamentary committee has criticised the Delhi Development Authority over vacant reserved posts, large backlogs in promotions, and low allotments of flats and commercial units despite constitutional mandates of the people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes .
In its fourth report tabled in Parliament, the committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes noted that 1,158 SC and 703 ST posts remain vacant across Groups A, B and C, even as the DDA has halted recruitment, pending approval of a proposal to slash its sanctioned strength from 12,932 to 5,883.
“The Committee would like to stress upon the fact that the recruitment can only be made on the basis of the current sanctioned strength and not on the proposed strength.
“To stop the recruitment altogether till the revised staff strength proposal gets approved is tantamount to grave injustice to job-seeking Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes applicants,” it said.
Under the existing sanctioned strength, the Delhi Development Authority has 183 SC and 211 ST posts vacancies in Group A alone over which the panel expressed concern.
The committee also expressed concern over a backlog of 123 SC and 59 ST vacancies in Group B, and 144 SC and 106 ST in Group C, dismissing the DDA’s explanation of “non-availability of eligible candidates” as “cliche” and unjustified.
It recommended offering concessions to ensure promotion quotas are met.
While the DDA reported no caste discrimination complaints in five years, MPs warned that employees may be hesitant to file grievances.
They called for an online complaint portal with fortnightly resolution deadlines and public access to case statuses, along with clear accountability for liaison officers and roster maintenance.
On housing, the panel flagged that in the last 25 years, only 19.17% of DDA flats went to SCs and 4.74% to STs, with just two schemes of Ambedkar Awas Yojana and a 2019 SC/ST housing scheme specifically targeting them.
Cancellation rates in these schemes exceeded 40% due to poor connectivity and affordability issues. The committee urged DDA to offer price relaxations, EMI options without interest and special drives pooling unsold reserved flats rather than diverting them to the unreserved category.
Commercial allotments also showed low uptake, with only 88 SC and 36 ST built-up units/shops allotted in the last decade.
The panel recommended aggressive advertising, price cuts, and EMI options, and even renting out unsold reserved units to SC/ST entrepreneurs if sales lag.
Invoking Article 46 of the Constitution, the committee reminded the DDA of its duty to promote the economic interests of SCs/STs and protect them from exploitation, warning that without targeted reforms, their rightful share in Delhi’s development will remain out of reach.
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