Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios, Suresh Productions Get GHMC Notice for Under-Assessment

Hyderabad: The GHMC has issued notices to Annapurna Studios Pvt. Ltd, Ramanaidu Studios and Suresh Productions Pvt. Ltd for allegedly evading trade licence fees by under-assessing their property tax.

Ramanaidu Studios and Suresh Productions are registered as separate establishments owned by the Daggubati family. Ramanaidu Studios cleared the proposed fee by Friday evening.

According to GHMC records, Annapurna Studios has been operating across 1,92,066 sq ft (proposed plinth area) but has been paying fees for only 8,172 sq ft. The existing trade licence fee is Rs 49,032, while the proposed fee is Rs 11,52,396. The difference in plinth area is 1,83,894 sq ft, and the difference in fee is Rs 11,03,364.

Suresh Productions has been operating across 68,276 sq ft (proposed plinth area) but has been paying fees for only 1,903 sq ft. The existing trade licence fee is Rs 7,614, and the proposed fee is Rs 2,73,104. The difference in plinth area is 66,373 sq ft, and the difference in fee is Rs 2,65,490.

The GHMC served notices to Annapurna Studios Pvt. Ltd. and Suresh Productions Pvt. Ltd. Ramanaidu Studios was also served a notice but has since cleared the proposed fee.

“It is true that they have been paying the trade licence fee for many years, but the plinth areas in the records are less than what they occupy at present,” a GHMC official said. “We have served notices to these commercial establishments. The actual trade licence fee has also been mentioned in the notices,” he added.

Officials said there is a significant difference between the plinth area recorded for property tax and the area declared for the trade licence.

The GHMC has extended the last date for submitting applications for new trade licences and their renewal by 20 days as the official work got affected by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which was in force till November 16 for the Jubilee Hills by-election. The revised last date for submission is December 20.

As per GHMC bylaws, an application for a new licence or renewal must be filed within 30 days before the expiry of the previous licence. The licence period for the upcoming cycle is valid from January 1 to December 31, 2025.

If the licence is renewed between December 1 and December 20, 2025, no penalty will be levied. Renewals made on or before February 19, 2026, will attract a 25 per cent penalty, and from February 20, 2026, onwards, the penalty will be 50 per cent.