NEW DELHI: Over 70,000: That’s the number of forms that were downloaded from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) website over seven hours on Thursday as the land agency launched its housing scheme 2010.

This doesn’t include the number of forms that were sold through branches of the seven banks that have been identified for sale of forms by the DDA. Sources claimed the total figure would easily have crossed the 1.5 lakh mark by the end of the day — a substantial leap from the 80,000 forms that were sold on the first day in the DDA housing scheme 2008.

At stake are 16,000 flats all over the city . From one-room tenements in Jasola and Trilokpuri to furnished threebedroom flats in Vasant Kunj , DDA with this scheme has come out with one of the biggesthousing schemesin a long while.

That the huge demand is anticipatedis apparentfrom the fact that DDA has sent around 2 lakh forms to each of the five main banks — SBI , Central Bank of India , HDFC , Axis andICICI—tocater tothe rush . Said a senior DDA official , ‘‘ We are anticipating that these many formswillholdout for a week. After that we will review the sale .’’

On day one , sources said that 76,376 forms were downloaded from the DDA site, a dramatic increase from last year when only 15,000 forms had been downloaded . DDA officialsclaimedthelong lines at the designated banks were the reason why several applicants preferred to go online .

‘‘ Though the rush is less than what I had anticipated in the DDA office, it may have been a better idea to download the form ,’’ said Subhash Aggarwal , who had to wait in queue for over an hour to purchase the form from the bank in the DDA office premises .

With the DDA insisting on the details of applicant’s bank account to be attached to any financial transaction with the DDA — so that bogus applicants don’t become eligible for flats like last time , the effect could be seen on Thursday .

A large number of people standing in queue were clearly in family groups , with many clutching their passbooks . Interestingly , DDA’s decision not to sell any forms itself — the sale of forms is only through the selected banks — meant that the office was strikingly empty even as the branches of Central Bank and SBI overflowed .

Almost 70% of the flats on sale are one-room or Janta flats , with largest concentration of suchflatsbeing in Rohini . Other areas where these and other one , two and threebedroom flats are available are Vasant Kunj , Motia Khan , Dwarka ,Jasola ,Narela andPitampura .

The price of these flats range from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 1.12 crore . The one-room Janta flats are priced between Rs 3-6 lakh .

Applying? Read this

Forms available at:
Branches of Axis, HDFC, ICICI , IDBI , Central Bank Of India, SBI and Union Bank of India

Price of form:
105

For registration:
1.5 lakh and documents

What’s new:
Applicants have been told to pay registration fee from their own bank accounts.

Also, if successful, they will have to take loan, if any, in their own name More than one person from a family can purchase the form but only one can buy a flat 16,000 Janta, LIG, MIG and HIG flats are on offer.

Some flats are furnished (in Vasant Kunj) for which an extra amount will be charged One time maintenance fee, ranging from 12% to 15% of the construction cost, will be charged.