Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau has unearthed a multi-crore fraud allegedly committed by HMDA city planner B. Bheem Rao, who was arrested recently, in collusion with director, planning, K. Purushotham Reddy.
The duo in nexus with Legend Chimes developers cheated owners who purchased villas costing Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore in a gated community at Gandipet.
The HMDA planners went against the rules and changed the laws covering layout regulations. Like Lodha Builders, who allegedly cheated their buyers of green space and facilities in Gandipet, Legend Chimes which has over five ventures in the city, cheated their buyers by changing the layout from gated community to group housing.
Investigating officer with the ACB, Ramana Kumar, told this newspaper, “Legend is the name of the developers and Chimes is their venture at Gandipet. It is a massive gated community of villas. The HMDA granted building permission to Legend developers for Chimes in 2010 for 25 acres 37 guntas. As per the building draft the developer left 17 per cent of land for green space and facilities including a club and indoor sports. Many people purchased villas in Chimes.
However, in 2013, the same developer applied for fresh permission by attaching seven acres of adjacent land, but in this, no green space was left as the developers attached the existing 17 per cent land of Chimes to the new venture. Those who purchased villas between 2010 and 2013 were cheated and filed complaints.”
He further added, “In 2017 the same developers applied for another fresh building permission with no green space and the file was approved by accused K. Purushotham Reddy as he was the HMDA director planning.”
Initially, the venture was meant to be a gated community, but in 2013 it was made into a housing society. Residents were miffed with the common thoroughfares, as gated communities have a single entry-exit system controlled by private security, a compound wall, and independent maintenance committee.
According to the investigation carried out by the ACB, Legend developers sold out villas that were mortgaged to HMDA, as per the building permit rule. When the property buyers informed the HMDA top brass, the developer was fined a penalty of Rs 15 lakh per villa, while it was being sold for Rs 2-3 crore. When this correspondent enquired with the HMDA office in regard to this multi-crore fraud, she was told that the HMDA commissioner is reviewing the files.
Big developers flout norms, eat up green space
In 2017 : Lodha developers came under flak. In 2009, the Mumbai-based builders, built luxury homes on a 12-acre plot, promising 80 per cent open space and 20 per cent constructed area around. However, later, Lodha built another venture called Meridian, of two-bedroom, low-end housing on the same plot, with a compound wall separating the two buildings. In 2017, following repeated pleas from a resident of Lodha Meridian, the GHMC issued a circular to demolish this compound wall which created a hue and cry among those owing flats in Belleza as the builder cheated them.
In 2017 :Residents of the 120-villa Ramky Pearl at Kukatpally, have dragged project developer Ramky Constructions and Godavari Developers, who originally owned the land, to the Lokayukta. The residents alleged that Godavari Developers had applied for revision of the 17-acre layout as it wanted to use the parkland for construction.
