Hyderabad: The Ranga Reddy consumer forum has ruled against the promoter of a purported “exclusive Brahmin colony” for not developing the layout after collecting money from several people.
In at least seven cases, the forum asked Veda Gayatri Agraharm developer Yellapragada Prabhakar to repay the money and pay compensation to the victims. The land promised by Prabhakar in Kothur was in legal dispute and HMDA had not approved the layout.
The seven cases were filed by Mr Rayasam Venkata Satyanarayana Rao, Ms Medipally Sunitha, Ms Meduri Rajya Lakshmi, Ms Devalla Kanya Kumari, Ms B. Vasantha, Ms B. Subbalakshmi and Mr D. Venkata Ramana Kumar against Prabhakar of Raghavendra Real Estates, New Nagole, LB Nagar. Prabhakar was earlier arrested in criminal cases in Mahbubnagar.
A complainant noted that Prabhakar had advertised on television channels from 2012 to 2014 throughout Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that he proposed to develop a community colony exclusively for Brahmins.
“He stated that he owns vast land at Cheguru of Kothur mandal in Mahbubnagar district... He claimed he had obtained all necessary permissions,” the complainant said.
Buyers paid Rs 5 lakh to purchase 200 square yards. The complainant alleged that there were no approvals for developing the land and the developer had failed to get the conversion certificate from agricultural land to residential plots.
There were no approvals from HMDA for regularising the unauthorised plots.
The forum directed Prabhakar to deposit Rs 5 lakh with 12 per cent interest, Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5000 as costs to the complainant. It issued similar orders in the six other cases.
In a similar case, the Vizianagaram consumer forum granted relief to plot owners as a realty firm, Ushodaya Real Estates, failed to deliver plots. The complainant had paid money for several months as installments but the layout was not developed.
