Bhubaneswar, July 29: The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has issued a public advisory urging allottees to generate their Unique Account Number (UAN) by August 31, a mandatory step to avail various pre- and post-allotment services, officials said on Tuesday.

These services include asset allotment, lease deed execution, No Objection Certificates (NOC) for loans, property transfers, and leasehold-to-freehold land conversion.

Applicants can register for their UAN via the official BDA website: www.bda.gov.in. To streamline the process, BDA will soon establish a UAN Facilitation Cell at its headquarters to assist residents with registration and documentation queries.

In a parallel initiative, BDA has made notable progress in its leasehold-to-freehold conversion programme. Of the 1,250 applications received, 743 conveyance deeds have already been registered, with 843 applications submitted through the online portal—highlighting growing public engagement with digital governance.

To qualify for freehold status, allottees must have constructed a house on the allotted plot, maintained possession for over five years, and executed a valid lease deed with BDA. The conversion fee is set at 3% of the latest Benchmark Valuation of Gharabari Kissan land, as per the 2024 rate fixed by the State Government.

The programme currently covers 27 housing schemes, including Pokhariput Phases I–III, Prachi Enclave, Lumbini Vihar, Udayagiri Vihar, and Lingaraj Vihar. Applicants with mortgaged plots must submit an NOC from the financial institution concerned, along with an affidavit confirming the absence of legal disputes. Encroachers must vacate the land and provide an affidavit before applying.

This move is part of BDA’s broader push toward transparent, citizen-friendly urban governance.

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