Hyderabad: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II, Hyderabad, has ordered refunds or monthly payments in three cases involving Squares and Yards Infra Pvt Ltd and its sandalwood cultivation investment schemes. The orders, passed on Aug 21, followed disputes over land registration, promised returns and repayment of investments.In the first case, Suresh Kumar Chinta said he paid ₹17.5 lakh in March 2023 and received registration of 534 sq yards of farmland. The company paid him ₹30,000 a month from April to Sept 2023 before stopping. Chinta also alleged that the project was later locked and unmaintained. With the respondents set ex-parte, the commission directed the company to pay him ₹60,000 a month from Oct 10, 2023, to June 10, 2031, with 9% interest on defaulted instalments. It also awarded ₹25,000 compensation and ₹5,000 costs.In the second case, Prasannanjaneyulu K claimed he invested ₹33.5 lakh in the “Sandal Meadows” project at Bala Nagar, Mahbubnagar, but only one of two plots was registered and promised returns stopped. The commission ordered a ₹33.5 lakh refund with 12% annual interest from March 31, 2023, along with ₹50,000 compensation and ₹5,000 costs.In the third case, Soma Nitish Reddy said he paid ₹17.5 lakh, but a 267-sq-yard unit was not registered. Three repayment cheques issued under a March 2024 MOU also bounced. Rejecting the respondents’ argument that the investment was a commercial transaction, the commission ordered a ₹17.5 lakh refund with 9% interest from July 1, 2024, besides ₹25,000 compensation and ₹5,000 costs.All three orders are to be complied with within 45 days of receipt. Claims against certain individual respondents were dismissed.
