The much-awaited biggest draw of lots for 16,000 flats offered by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for which 7.53 lakh applicants are vying was held on Monday in Noida amid tight security.

With DDA restricting entry, hundreds of applicants gathered outside the Sector-62 office of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), whose help was taken by the Delhi Development Authority for the draw which went on for two hours and 45 minutes.

Officials said the results were likely to be uploaded on the DDA website by late tonight. It will be published in newspapers too.

Only a handful of mediapersons were allowed into a hall on the premises where the process was screened while draw panelists, independent senior observers from diverse fields and DDA officials were inside for the draw.

The DDA had earlier said that as there is limited space at the CDAC premises, it will be difficult to accommodate everyone wishing to witness the draw. For the first time, it was held in Noida and not in the DDA headquarters here.

However, many applicants were heard complaining that the process should have been open while some mediapersons were unhappy over not being allowed inside.

A large number of police and PAC personnel were deployed in and around the building while traffic was diverted in the area. Fire engines were parked to handle any eventuality.

7.53 lakh applicants are vying for the flats, located in areas like Vasant Kunj, Mukherjee Nagar, Motia Khan, Jasola, Dwarka, Rohini, Narela, Jaffarabad, Kondli and Gharoli. There are one, two and three bedroom flats with the prices ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs Rs 1.12 crore.

The housing scheme was launched on November 25, 2010.

Asked about the allegations of irregularities that had cropped up during the last draw of lots for its housing scheme, Delhi Development Authority officials had earlier said that all necessary checks and balances were in place.

"The draw is being held in Noida only due to the fact that the number of applicants and the number of flats being allotted under the scheme is high as compared to earlier schemes. CDAC has better wherewithal and expertise to conduct the draw of such a magnitude and it is not possible to transport the equipment from there," an official had said.