Megha Promoter Duo to Engineer Family Settlement

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The two principal shareholders of Megha Engineering and Infrastructure MEIL ), the Reddy uncle-nephew duo, are finalising a family settlement, said people with knowledge of the matter. This will see PV Krishna Reddy buying out uncle Pamireddy Pitchi Reddy's controlling interest three decades after the two started their entrepreneurial journey with small pipes for municipalities. It's since become a $5-billion, privately held infrastructure conglomerate that's among the largest in the country, said the people in the know.Krishna Reddy, with a net worth of $2.2 billion as per Forbes, is in talks with financial institutions to raise as much as ₹12,000-15,000 crore to buy out his uncle's 51% stake in the holding company. Krishna Reddy owns the remaining 49%.According to the people cited, the services of a former chief justice of India were used to finalise the terms of settlement, which has been in the works for over two years. These have now been formalised and the valuations agreed upon, they said.The deal has to be wrapped up by March 2027.Krishna Reddy is planning to raise part of the funds from private structured credit and special situation funds such as Kotak Alternate Asset Managers, Varde and Farallon. He's also in discussions with global banks such as Deutsche Bank.He aims to partly or fully monetise some assets to raise the residual financing. One such asset is a power transmission project in western Uttar Pradesh, for which offers have come from domestic infrastructure groups, said officials involved. The nephew expects to raise almost half the settlement amount—about ₹7,000 crore—from the sale of the interstate transmission lines and the substation network.Negotiations have also been taking place with some of the largest global funds to divest the city gas unit. Megha City Gas Pvt Ltd is operational in 62 districts across eight states including Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. While the transmission network has been on the block, a deal is yet to be clinched, insiders said. Against a payment schedule for the ₹15,000 crore settlement amount, only about ₹1,000 crore has been paid so far.The operations and maintenance wing of Olectra Greentech, the only listed entity of the group, may also be hived off to raise funds, said the people cited. Megha Engineering is the promoter of the company that makes e-buses and composite polymer insulators with a 50% stake. Between July 2023 and February 2024, the stock of Olectra Greentech more than doubled in value, sending it to an all-time high of over Rs 2,200. The stock was down 45% from those levels at the Friday close.Krishna Reddy declined to comment. PP Reddy didn't respond to queries.Clinching the settlement was not easy, said the people cited, given that there was interest from one of the country's richest men—whose conglomerate is invested heavily in infrastructure—in the 51% stake of Reddy senior. According to people in the know, Krishna Reddy sought the aid of top political leaders to ward off this bid.The flamboyant uncle, PP to his friends, comes from humble origins in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Within two years of starting the business, he roped in his nephew. After initial success in irrigation projects, the group diversified into natural gas distribution, roads, dams, tunnelling, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and hydrocarbons, among others.In 2006, the company's name was changed to the current one from Megha Engineering Enterprises. 'Megha is a classic case study of the rise of the Telugu businessman under YSR Reddy's irrigation boom,' said the managing director of another Hyderabad-based diversified group, referring to the deceased chief minister of the undivided state. 'Like several of their peers in business and community, they started doing PWD (public works department) contracts only to become massive. It's a similar trajectory taken by other families that run GMR, IVRCL, Navayuga, NCC, Ramky etc. Several amassed enormous wealth but succumbed to debt pressures. Megha has only grown bigger.'This meteoric rise brought them into the national spotlight but also into regulatory and corporate crosshairs. Following the disclosure that Megha had bought electoral bonds worth ₹966 crore, allegations of a quid pro quo for government contracts surfaced. The company has always denied any reciprocity.Krishna Reddy was responsible for expanding operations, acquiring companies in Italy for instance, said the people cited. This has helped the group expand in Asia, Africa and Latin America and form joint ventures such as the one with China's BYD for electric vehicles (EVs). However, the joint venture's plan to make EVs in India has been stuck for years due to Press Note 3, which mandates government approval for investments from countries that share a land border with India. This is specifically aimed at China due to the testy ties between the two.One of the reasons for the uncle stepping aside is age, said people who know him.'PP is turning 70 soon and he wants to now retire and lead the good life,' said a long-time family friend. 'Krishna is firmly in the saddle and the family, instead of bickering, came to an understanding. There were initial differences in terms of valuations, but that is very common. Now Krishna is busy organising funds to fast-track the buyout. I will not rule out an IPO down the line as well. The asset sales will also help prune the vast portfolio.'

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