HYDERABAD: Action initiated by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TG RERA) on Tuesday has once again turned the spotlight on Pradeep Constructions’ controversial BLISS residential project at Somajiguda, while also raising fresh questions about how the project secured statutory approvals despite official findings that the entire site falls within the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone of Hussainsagar.
A joint inspection by HYDRAA and the Irrigation Department reportedly found that 7,355.15 sq m of the project’s total extent of 7,640.89 sq m falls within the Hussainsagar FTL, while the remaining 285.74 sq m lies within the mandatory 30-metre buffer zone, leaving no portion legally available for construction. Despite this, permissions were granted for a project comprising two cellar levels, a stilt floor, two 17-storey residential towers and a clubhouse.
Builder failed to obtain NOC from Hyderabad collector
Official records further state that the land is classified in the town survey as vacant land submerged under a lake. Reports also indicate that no No Objection Certificate (NOC) was issued by the Hyderabad collector’s office and no permission was obtained from the Irrigation department before the initial building permission was granted in December 2018. Revised approvals followed in January 2020.
The findings have prompted questions over how a high-rise project received permission on land now found to be entirely within the FTL and buffer zone, who approved the project despite the reported absence of mandatory clearances and whether statutory safeguards were overlooked. Critics argue that no other private developer received comparable permissions within the Hussainsagar FTL after the formation of Telangana.
The controversy has also drawn attention because of Pradeep Reddy’s ownership of the Janwada farmhouse, which figured in separate proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Court records show Pradeep Reddy informing the Tribunal that he had purchased the farmhouse and adjoining land through registered sale deeds. Against this backdrop, opposition parties have questioned whether there was any connection between the Janwada property and the permissions granted to Pradeep Constructions for the Somajiguda project. No evidence has been placed in the public domain establishing such a link.
Since the permissions were granted during the tenure of the then Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao, the issue has acquired political overtones. Opposition parties have demanded a comprehensive investigation into the approval process, official file notings and decisions taken at various levels, while seeking to establish whether any undue influence was exercised in granting the permissions.
The latest official action has added to the scrutiny. GHMC has issued a show cause notice to Pradeep Constructions under Section 450 of the GHMC Act, 1955, proposing cancellation of the building permissions on the ground that they were allegedly obtained through material misrepresentation and suppression of facts. The Corporation has also kept the project’s application for an Occupancy Certificate (OC) in abeyance and confirmed that no OC has been issued.
Separately, TG RERA issued a public advisory cautioning homebuyers, investors and financial institutions against dealing with the project. The Authority said the project’s registration, granted in March 2020, lapsed on January 2, 2026, and is no longer valid. It directed the promoter not to advertise, market, book or sell units or represent the project as a validly registered RERA project until further orders.
