Realty firms are making a beeline to private equity investors for money to repay mounting debt portfolios. With commercial banks turning cautious about lending to the real estate sector, industry players strapped for cash are seeking equity capital to ease the liquidity crunch.
The chargesheet has been filed by the CBI against former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum scam with the leading real estate company Unitech and two others being a party to the criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating and corruption.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, one of the world’s biggest hotel chains, is not worried with the DB Realty’s scam. The Chicago-headquartered group is going ahead with plans of opening five hotels with the Mumbai-based DB Group.
DB Realty, the tainted Mumbai-based real estate developer whose name figured in the 2G spectrum investigations, has lost its fourth director since February.
The finance ministry has asked the central bank to bar real estate firms from seeking banking licences and alter conditions relating to financial inclusion and stake dilution by promoters.
Indian real estate majors, DLF and Unitech, are set to miss their FY11 sales target, despite prices reaching the highs of 2007. Mid cap names like HDIL, Ackruti City and Sobha Developers are however on track to meet their targets.
Sadiq Batcha, a longtime friend and associate of A Raja and managing director of a real estate company, Green House Promoters, in which Raja’s wife Parameswari was associated as one of the directors and later resigned, has been found dead.
Real estate and construction has been voted as the most corrupt sector in India, according to a survey by global consultancy firm KPMG.
2G scam accused Shahid Balwa of DB Realty, whose dubious Pakistani and underworld connections are being probed, also allegedly had some Chinese links that raised security concerns within Indian agencies.
Shahid Balwa, a key figure in the telecom scandal that has shaken the government, has resigned as the head of his flagship real estate company, DB Realty. Balwa is vice-chairman of Gulf group Etisalat’s joint venture in the country and at 36 was the youngest billionaire on last year’s Forbes India rich list.