Neither home nor money

Hyderabad: Hundreds of IT professionals, airline employees, doctors, businessmen and others have been left in lurch as the construction giant Aliens Group have “failed to keep up its promise” of delivering flats they have paid for in Tellapur area.

The apartments were to be delivered in 2011, but less than 20 per cent of the construction has been completed so far, according to Alien Space 1 Owners’ Association, that is seeking a CBI probe into the issue.

According to an association member, over 1,000 flat buyers had paid the construction company as high as '400crore  most of them having taken loans from banks to pay for flats, and kept repaying the loans.

“Despite the promoters having a legal agreement with the buyers, it is asking us to pay double the original amount, citing escalation in material costs,” said Prakash Roy, an airline employee.

According to the association members, as many as 160 cases have been registered against the construction group in Consumer Redressal Forums while over 80 cases were registered in police stations.

However, so far, nothing came of these. “We are waiting for several years, and paying the bank loans we took for the purpose,” said a senior IT professional, G Ram Mohan.

Some time ago, Ramachandrapuram police had arrested Aliens Group MD Hari Challa after filing a cheating case against him. However, he obtained bail.

Police said they had also registered cases against Venkat Prasanna Challa and CVR Choudary, besides the MD, forming the management of the construction giant, under Sections 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.

Reacting to the allegations, company MD Mr. Hari Challa said the group has already started delivering apartments to those who have booked them.

“We had asked for an increase in the price earlier, but now we are not asking for that. We have already handed over apartments to 18 buyers,” he said, adding that, as per the agreement, all the apartments will be delivered in due course of time.