Bhubaneswar: They have been waiting for the last 10 years, spending not just money but their youth as well, yet their dream homes elude them. Thanks to a prolonged delay in the handover of their flats at Dhauli Heights, a premium housing project developed by the Odisha Cooperative Housing Corporation (OCHC) at Badaraghunathpur in Tomando on the outskirts of the city.Despite the matter being raised in the assembly more than 30 times, with successive cooperation ministers assuring early resolution, the allottees said they are yet to get possession of their flats.Frustrated over the years of delay, the allottees have now announced a mass dharna from Sept 22, demanding immediate handover. The aggrieved allottees, including many who have already paid substantial amounts towards their flats and are approaching old age, said they recently submitted memoranda to several public representatives, including the governor and chief minister, seeking intervention to ensure possession of the units, which are already complete, without any further delay.“We have invested our hard-earned money with the hope of owning a home. Several allottees have been paying EMIs while simultaneously bearing rental expenses. Despite repeated assurances from the authorities, possession is nowhere in sight,” said Pramod Kumar Mohanty, president of Dhauli Heights Allottees’ Association.A senior OCHC official, however, said that the project is almost complete and possession will be given to the allottees at the earliest. “There are very few issues left to be resolved in the project. Once resolved, the handover process will begin. We will also talk to the allottees about it,” the official said.According to the allottees, the housing project was conceived and undertaken by the OCHC, a govt agency, in 2014 with a commitment to complete construction and hand over the flats by 2016. However, even after a decade, the project has not been handed over due to a series of administrative, legal and operational hurdles.“The delay has caused tremendous financial and mental distress to hundreds of families. Many allottees had planned their lives around the promised delivery schedule. We have exhausted all channels of communication and are left with no option but to intensify our protest,” association general secretary N Siva Sankar said.The association said that the issue has repeatedly been raised in the legislative assembly over the years, with members claiming it to be more than 30 times, and successive cooperation ministers assuring early resolution.In the memorandum submitted to legislators and public representatives, the allottees have sought immediate intervention by the state govt, a clear timeline for completion of a few pending works, and an announcement of the date of possession. “The govt must take responsibility and ensure accountability. Homebuyers cannot be made to suffer indefinitely for delays beyond their control,” the memorandum stated.