RTI for Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) — Plot Allotment, Flat Possession and Dues

The Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) is the state government's primary agency for delivering affordable residential housing across Rajasthan. Established under the Rajasthan Housing Board Act, 1970, and functioning under the Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Rajasthan, RHB develops residential colonies and constructs flats and plots for citizens across income categories — EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, and general — in cities and towns from Jaipur to Jodhpur, Udaipur to Bikaner, Kota to Alwar.

Despite its mandate, RHB allottees frequently encounter serious problems: allotment letters delayed without explanation, possession orders withheld for months or years after allotment, buildings handed over without a Completion Certificate, construction defects that RHB is slow to acknowledge, and dues statements that are difficult to reconcile. Because RHB is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005 — being a body constituted under a state law and substantially funded by the state government — every allottee, applicant, and affected citizen has a right to precise, documented answers to these questions through RTI.

RHB vs JDA: Which Authority Should You Approach?

Before filing an RTI, it is important to identify whether your allotment was made by the Rajasthan Housing Board or by the Jaipur Development Authority, as these are two separate statutory bodies with different mandates.

Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) is a state-wide housing authority. It operates across all districts of Rajasthan — Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Bikaner, Alwar, Bharatpur, and others. Its primary function is constructing and allotting affordable residential housing (flats, multi-storey apartments, and developed residential plots) to eligible applicants. If your allotment letter, scheme brochure, or payment receipts bear the name "Rajasthan Housing Board" or "RHB," file your RTI with the RHB District Office for your city, or with the RHB Head Office in Jaipur.

Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is a separate authority constituted specifically for the Jaipur Metropolitan Region. Its functions focus on land-use planning, layout development, and plot/flat schemes within the Jaipur Metropolitan Area — it does not operate across the rest of Rajasthan. If your allotment is under a "JDA Colony" or a "JDA Scheme," the correct SPIO is at the Jaipur Development Authority, not RHB.

How to check: Look at your original allotment letter or application acknowledgement. The issuing authority's name will confirm whether it is RHB or JDA. Do not conflate the two or send an RTI to the wrong body, as this wastes the 30-day response window.

What RTI Can Help You Get from RHB

Filing an RTI application with the Rajasthan Housing Board can produce concrete, documented information across all the common problem areas allottees face:

1. Allotment status and waitlist position: Confirmation that your application is on record, your current queue position in your income category, and whether an allotment process has been completed for your scheme
2. Allotment criteria and draw outcome: The exact eligibility conditions, priority order, reservation percentages, draw methodology, and the application number range of successful allottees — to verify whether your application was correctly considered
3. Possession order (Kabzaa Patra): Whether the possession order has been issued, who signed it, the date it was issued or — if not issued — the specific reason for the delay and the revised expected date
4. Completion Certificate (CC) / Occupation Certificate (OC): Whether RHB has obtained the statutory CC or OC for your building or colony from the competent authority — its absence is a common cause of possession delays and a legal deficiency that allottees can cite in a consumer forum
5. Construction quality inspection reports: Findings of all quality inspections conducted during and after construction, any defects or deficiencies reported by inspecting officers, and the action taken — this is particularly useful for documenting structural defects for complaints or legal proceedings
6. Dues statement with breakup: Total allotment cost, amounts paid, outstanding principal, interest, penal interest, and the Board resolution or government order prescribing the applicable rates — to cross-check whether interest and penalties have been correctly calculated
7. Scheme details: Total units offered, total applications received, allotment process used, and whether any discretionary allotments were made outside the standard process
8. Refund and cancellation policy: Deductions applicable on surrender or cancellation, and the timeline for processing refunds

Where to File

RHB District Offices: For most allottees, the most effective first point of RTI filing is the RHB District Office for the city or town where your plot or flat is located. The SPIO is typically the Assistant Housing Commissioner at the district office. District offices handle allotment records, possession orders, dues statements, and scheme-level data for that district.

RHB Head Office, Jaipur: The Head Office at Housing Board Circle, Near Gandhi Nagar Railway Station, Jaipur – 302 015 is the appropriate authority for state-level scheme information, policy-level queries, matters involving multiple districts, or when the district office is unresponsive. The SPIO at the Head Office is designated by the Housing Commissioner.

For most allottee queries — possession delay, construction quality, dues, allotment status — start with the RHB District Office for your city. If the scheme was centrally administered from Jaipur, or if the district office SPIO is unresponsive, escalate to the Head Office.

How to File: Step by Step

Step 1: Collect Your Documents

Before drafting the RTI, gather: your application or registration number, the scheme name (as it appears on official correspondence), your allotment letter number and date (if issued), your plot or flat number and colony/project name, payment receipt numbers for all amounts paid, and copies of any previous correspondence with RHB.

Step 2: Draft Your Application

Use the sample application above as your starting point. Identify the specific problem you are facing — allotment not received, possession delayed, construction defect, dues dispute — and frame each query as a numbered, factual information request. Specific requests (e.g., "a certified copy of the possession order for Plot No. XXX, Colony Name") yield faster and more useful responses than vague ones (e.g., "all information about my plot").

Step 3: File Online or by Post

Online: File through the Rajasthan RTI portal at rti.rajasthan.gov.in. Select "Urban Development and Housing Department" or "Rajasthan Housing Board" as the public authority. Pay the ₹10 fee via net banking, debit card, or UPI. Note the application registration number after submission — you will need it to track the response and, if necessary, to file a First Appeal.

By Post or In Person: Address your written application to the SPIO at the RHB District Office (for your city) or to the SPIO, Housing Commissioner, RHB Head Office, Jaipur – 302 015. Enclose an Indian Postal Order (IPO) of ₹10. BPL cardholders attach a copy of their BPL card and are exempt from the fee. Send by registered post and retain the postal receipt — the 30-day response period starts from the date the SPIO receives the application.

Step 4: Track Your Application

The SPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. If the matter involves life or liberty, the deadline is 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1). If you filed online, track your application status on the Rajasthan RTI portal using your registration number.

Step 5: Appeals if Needed

See the Appeals section below.

Detailed Information Requests

Allotment and Waitlist

• Current status of application Registration Number XXX under Scheme Name — whether allotment letter has been issued, current waitlist position if not allotted, and the reason for non-allotment if the process has been completed
• Total number of applications received under the scheme in the EWS/LIG/MIG/HIG category and the total number of units offered in that category
• Allotment criteria and process — eligibility conditions, priority order, reservation percentages for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/Ex-Serviceman, and whether a draw of lots or seniority-based process was used
• If a draw of lots was conducted: the date, draw methodology (computerised / manual), and the range of application numbers of successful allottees in the category
• Whether any allotments were made outside the standard draw/priority process (e.g., discretionary allotments, government servant quota, hardship cases) — the criteria, numbers, and names of allottees under such categories

Possession Order and Completion Certificate

• Whether the possession order (Kabzaa Patra) for Plot/Flat No. XXX, Colony Name has been issued — if issued, a certified copy; if not, the specific reason(s) and the revised expected date
• Whether a Completion Certificate (CC) or Occupation Certificate (OC) has been obtained from the competent authority (Urban Local Body / Local Development Authority / relevant municipal body) for the building/block/colony where Plot/Flat No. XXX is situated — and if not, the list of pending approvals, the authority from which they are awaited, and the expected date of obtaining the CC/OC
• The name and designation of the officer currently responsible for processing possession and CC/OC for this project, and the name of the contractor(s) engaged for the construction

Construction Quality

• Dates and findings of all construction quality inspections conducted during and after construction of the building/block in which my flat (Flat No. XXX, Block Name, Colony Name) is located — including the name and designation of each inspecting officer
• Whether any structural defect, construction deficiency, substandard material, or deviation from approved plan was reported in any inspection report — and if so, the full details of the deficiency and the action taken
• Copies of all inspection reports, site order books, and quality control registers maintained during the construction of the project
• Whether any third-party quality audit was conducted for the project — and if so, the name of the auditing agency and the findings

Dues and Payment

• A complete dues statement for allotment of Plot/Flat No. XXX — total allotment cost, amounts paid by me (date-wise, with receipt numbers), outstanding principal, interest applied (rate and basis), penal interest applied (rate and basis), and total current outstanding balance
• The instalment schedule applicable to my allotment — instalment amounts, due dates, and the Board resolution or government order prescribing the interest and penal interest rates
• Whether any additional charges (development charges, maintenance charges, electricity connection charges, water and sewerage connection charges) are applicable — the amount, basis, and due date for each
• Whether my allotment account has any dispute or litigation flag on it, and if so, the details

Scheme Policy

• The RHB's policy for cancellation of allotment — the grounds on which RHB may cancel, the grounds on which an allottee may surrender, the notice procedure, and the deductions applicable
• The timeline and procedure for refund of amounts deposited after cancellation or surrender, and the mode of refund

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If the RHB SPIO does not respond within 30 days of receipt of your application, or provides an incomplete or unsatisfactory response, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA). For RHB District Offices, the FAA is typically the District Housing Commissioner or an officer senior to the SPIO at the same office. For the Head Office, the FAA is designated by the Housing Commissioner. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is required. The FAA must decide within 30 days (extendable to 45 days with written reasons).

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is required. The RSIC is constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act as the apex information commission for Rajasthan state. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over RHB or any Rajasthan state government body — RSIC is the correct and exclusive second appellate body for all RHB matters.

The RSIC can direct the SPIO to provide the requested information and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the SPIO personally under Section 20 of the RTI Act for failure to provide information without reasonable cause or for deliberate obstruction. Allotment letters, possession orders, Completion Certificates, construction quality reports, dues statements, and scheme policy documents are standard administrative records of a public housing board — no exemption under Section 8 of the RTI Act applies to them.