
For Oberoi Realty, timely launches and leaner inventory key catalysts in FY26
Oberoi Realty Ltd's March quarter (Q4FY25) was dull. Pre-sales or bookings at
₹
853 crore fell over 50% sequentially as well as year-on-year, according to provisional data.
The reading is below some analysts' estimates. For instance, Antique Stock Broking was pencilling in Q4 pre-sales of
₹
1,000 crore.
The lack of new project launches played spoilsport for the Mumbai-focused real estate developer. Thus, it could sell 78 units in Q4 versus 554 units in Q3FY25 and 227 in Q4FY24. Recall that the launch of The Jardin project at Pokhran Road in Thane and the launch of a new tower in the Elysian project at Goregaon had buoyed Q3FY25 and Q4FY24 pre-sales, respectively.
To be sure, FY25 ended on a decent note for Oberoi with pre-sales growth of about 32% year-on-year to
₹
5,266 crore. This came from selling 1.3 million square feet across 928 units. In FY24, it had sold 705 units. Oberoi added many new projects during the year, including redevelopment projects across various micro-markets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This gave FY25 pre-sales a boost.
Also Read |
Oberoi Realty: Why investors have little room for optimism
Oberoi steps into FY26 with the much-anticipated foray in the Gurugram market which is crucial for maintaining pre-sales momentum and diversifying its geographical mix. Projects at Adarsh Nagar, Worli, and Tardeo in Mumbai are expected to be launched in FY26. Apart from timely new project launches, inventory liquidation at existing projects is another crucial factor to determine outlook on pre-sales and realisations.
'Average realisations surged 58% year-on-year/114% sequentially to
₹
62,117/sq ft in Q4FY25, indicating larger contribution from the Worli project, whereas the average ticket size was up 41% year-on-year/216% sequentially to
₹
10.9 crore," said a Nuvama Research report dated 21 April.
Oberoi managed to book only two units in the high-ticket marquee project Three Sixty West, located at Worli in Mumbai, in Q3FY25, much lower than the run rate of six units in the previous two quarters.
Also Read:
Realty's FY25 pre-sales goal hinges on H2 delivery
Meanwhile, a comforting factor is that Oberoi's balance sheet is in good stead aided by fundraise and robust cash collections. These have helped ease the debt burden and provide Oberoi's ability to pursue new business development opportunities.
Oberoi's shares have gained 19% in the past year, versus negative returns of the sectoral Nifty Realty index. But Nuvama cautions that the weakness in housing volumes has led to concerns about future sales growth, compelling the brokerage house to slash net asset value (a valuation metric for realty stocks) premium for the Oberoi stock to 35% from 60% earlier.
Also Read:
Realtors eye new addresses in tier-2 cities
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The Print
7 hours ago
- The Print
What is CBI's case against Tata firm, Nehru Port Trust officials booked in Rs 800 cr dredging ‘scam'
Dredging of ports involves removal of marine rocks and clay from beneath the water surface to increase the depth of the navigation channel. In the case of JNPT, the process started in May 2003. The plan was to accommodate large-size cargo ships. According to the agency, alleged irregularities inflicted a loss of Rs 365.9 crore on JNPT during the first phase of dredging, which was conducted between 2010 and 2014, and Rs 438 crore in the second phase, which was said to have been conducted between 2012 and 2019. New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked Tata Consulting Engineers, a Tata Group company, other private firms, and some officials with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), a public sector undertaking, for allegedly causing losses of nearly Rs 803 crore to the Nhava Sheva Port. In its FIR, the agency attributed said losses to alleged cartelisation in contracts and inflated bills for port dredging. On Wednesday, the CBI booked Tata Consulting Engineers project director Devdutt Bose; Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, a chief manager-level officer of the JNPT; two other firms in the marine engineering field, Mumbai-based Boskalis Smit India LLP and Chennai-based Jan De Nul Dredging India; and some unidentified public servants in the case. The CBI FIR, filed Wednesday, came more than three years after the probe agency, in June 2022, opened a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the allegations of collusion between JNPT officials and some private companies, leading to inflated estimates and restricted competition aimed at extending benefits solely to the colluding companies. Moreover, the CBI said it found that suppression of reports of independent experts and abuse of positions by JNPT officials resulted in excess payment for dredging beyond the Design Dredge Level (DDL). During the inquiry, 'the criminal conspiracy between the JNPT officials and other private persons, resulting in the wrongful loss, amounting to Rs 365.90 crore for phase-I and Rs 438 crore for phase-II to JNPT due to over-dredging has surfaced,' a CBI official noted in the complaint, which formed the basis of the CBI FIR. Also Read: What court said while acquitting former coal secretary & joint secretary in Mahuagarhi coal block case CBI FIR on conflict of interest, excess payment Nearly seven years after receiving a detailed report to increase the depth of the navigational channel at the port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) roped in the Tata Consulting Engineer (TCE) for a final report on the dredging plan and cost estimate. The TCE and Dredging Solution, another firm, prepared the final report in December 2010, the CBI FIR has documented. The TCE was also awarded the work of the project management consultant for the first phase. So, it was responsible for preparing tender documents and supervising project execution, the CBI FIR has further stated. Moreover, the TCE recommended three alternative dredging proposals and the modalities for each. It also recommended a second phase of the exercise to cater to the expected increased traffic at the port in 2020. Then, TCE, jointly with E&Y and Howe Engineering Project (India), prepared a final report. Similar to the final report of the first phase, Howe Engineering Project (India) suggested three alternatives for dredging to accommodate 20-foot-size ships, which have a capacity of 12,500 20-foot equivalent units. TCE was also made the project management consultant for the second phase, ignoring the conflict of interest. In the complaint to the agency, leading to an FIR, a CBI official noted a 'significant delay' in the dredging work from 2010 onwards, without proper assessment of prevailing dredging requirements since the detailed project report was prepared way back in May 2003. The investigators further noted that while the first phase was in progress, JNPT management led by Sunil Kumar Madabhavi had already assigned TCE the work to write the final report for the second phase. The second phase of the project began and the payment for it made based on the TCE report in violation of the JNPT board-adopted project note, which explicitly mentioned that the two phases of dredging would be taken up separately. The CBI FIR has noted that in the first phase, the excess dredging, 14.85 million cubic metre beyond the DDL, resulted in a Rs 365.90 crore excess payment, a loss for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. 'JNPT officials, in connivance with the PMC (project management consultant) and contractor, have also made an excess payment of Rs.430 crores to the contractor for over dredging made in Phase-II,' the FIR has stated. According to the CBI FIR, two different software were used to conduct the survey before and after the second phase of dredging. The pre-dredging survey used one software known for accuracy and widely accepted globally. However, the post-dredging survey used software patented by one of the parties in the deal on the behest of one Devdutt Bose, the project director on behalf of TCE, the FIR has claimed. Additionally, the CBI FIR alleged that Bose, along with JNPT chief manager in the planning, projects, and development (PP&D) department Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, hatched a conspiracy to allow shadow bidding by a joint venture between Boskalis Smit India LLP and Jan De Nul Dredging India and extended undue financial favours, including payments amounting to Rs 348 crore to the companies in the second phase for work already executed in the first phase, without any such work taking place. 'The above acts of commission and omission on the part of 1) Shri Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, the then Chief Manager (PP&D), JNPT, 2) Shri Devdutt Bose, Project Director with M/s TCE, 3) M/s Tata Consulting Engineers, 4) M/s BoskalisSmit India LLP, 5) M/s Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt. Ltd. and 6) other unknown public servant and private persons, disclose commission of offences punishable U/s 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC r/w 420 (cheating) of IPC and Section 13 (2) r/w 13(1) (d) of PC Act, 1988 (un-amended) and substantive offences thereof. Therefore, it is requested that a regular case may be registered against the above mentioned persons,' the CBI official documented. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Another closure report in 2010 CWG 'scam'. Here's what happened to the 19 FIRs filed since 2010


Time of India
8 hours ago
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Tour operator told to refund elderly couple for cancelled tour in Covid times
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Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
Are buyouts the new layoffs? Why big tech is quietly paying workers to leave
With no signs of layoffs slowing down, the tech industry is undergoing a seismic shift. In recent months, big tech companies have been axing jobs faster and quieter than ever. During the pandemic, terms like 'quiet quitting' and 'rage applying' entered the HR glossary, reflecting how employee-employer dynamics were rapidly evolving. Companies of all sizes laid off millions worldwide in highly publicised waves. But the current spate of layoffs seems different. What was once cloaked in drama and headline-grabbing layoffs seems to be becoming quick and discrete. The layoffs today are swift and subtle; companies are implementing voluntary buyout programmes that allow them to reduce headcounts and at the same time maintain a semblance of stability. Each layoff by big tech is followed by verbose justification that does very little to conceal the abject reality of the situation – people are losing jobs. Based on recent reports, economists are estimating that about one-third of resignations in Silicon Valley this year may not be voluntary but negotiated with compensation. Big tech like Google and Amazon have been reportedly paying extra weeks of salary to discreetly sack those deemed 'misaligned' employees. This signals a fundamental shift in how the tech industry is managing workforce reduction at a time when AI is rapidly advancing and virtually taking over newer domains of work that once needed human expertise. Looking at the last few years, tech companies have experimented with almost every method in the book to reduce their workforce. While earlier approaches included sudden mass layoffs, performance improvement schemes aimed at forcing resignations, and even hiring freezes for extended periods of time, things are changing now. Instead of ostentatious layoffs that would likely lead to negative publicity and likely legal challenges, big tech seems to be resorting to voluntary exit packages or buyouts that are discreet. Buyouts are when a company offers a voluntary severance package to employees, encouraging them to leave jobs. Google seems to be leading this shift. Earlier this month, it was reported that the Alphabet Inc. company was offering buyouts to staff across several divisions. This time the company did not reveal the number of employees impacted. These buyouts were offered to employees from knowledge and information, central engineering units, and even from the core search and advertising units which are critical to the company's profits. According to an internal memo to staff, Google executive Nick Fox informed that employees who were not meeting expectations may want to take the buyout, and those who are excited by their work will continue with the company. The buyout from Google seems to be offering generous severance packages to employees considered misaligned with its AI-focused roadmap. This comes after Google's massive layoffs in 2023 that impacted over 12,000 employees. Even though they are quiet, the scale of these layoffs remains massive. According to a site that tracks tech layoffs in real realtime, so far 141 tech companies have laid off 62,832 employees in the first half of 2025. While the volume of layoffs hasn't changed much, what has changed indeed is the pace. From one-day mass layoffs to now, the industry has adopted a workforce reduction that is essentially spread over months. And these come dressed in fineries such as 'workforce realignment', 'organisational restructuring', 'talent mobility', etc. Google launched its voluntary exit programme earlier this year, and it was reportedly aimed at around 25,000 employees who were involved with developing the company's operating systems. As part of the programme, eligible US-based employees would receive around 14 weeks of base pay plus one additional week for each year of service, along with accelerating stock vesting (a process where an employee gains full rights over their stock options of shares offered by the company) and six months of health coverage. The programme seems to be expanding steadily, as earlier this month it was extended to the Knowledge and Information group that has about 20,000 employees. From Google's perspective, employees who accept buyouts are statistically less productive under the AI-centric approach. Moreover, the cost of severance packages is lower than keeping 'misaligned' employees on payroll forever. Reportedly, voluntary exits facilitate staff cuts with minimal hassle, as they involve less documentation, almost no lawsuits, and a defined exit budget. It is not just Google; more companies are following suit. Reportedly, Microsoft is offering 16 weeks of salary to low-performing employees who opt for voluntary exit. On the other hand, Amazon was among the first to introduce a three-month salary package to employees resisting work-from-office mandates. While there is a cost to companies with buyouts, big tech seems to be viewing these voluntary exits as more profitable than forced resignations, which could also lead to lawsuits, demoralisation among staff, and damage to goodwill and reputation. For companies the rationale moves beyond cost savings. Some experts feel that severance packages could free up the budget to hire AI talent that require premium pay packages. Reportedly, Microsoft pays AI engineers up to $375,000 annually, which is substantially higher than standard developers. For senior staff, buyouts afford them the resources they need during the job search. However, younger staff with minimal tenure receive smaller severance packages and are thrust into an oversaturated market. Employees accepting buyouts may be higher, since there is a lack of clarity on exact numbers. For high-performing employees, these severance packages may help them embark on their startup journeys. While buyout packages allow companies to cut costs while maintaining employee morale, their risks include uneven loss of critical talent and disruption in alignments within teams. As of today, there are AI-driven efficiency pressures, and more roles seem to be becoming obsolete, pushing companies to push for voluntary exits. This could signal a future of lean hybrid workforces with fewer permanent roles, and continuous reskilling and employee adaptability becoming a necessity. With AI continuing to automate various functions, companies will be compelled to reconfigure their workforces. In an alternative scenario, if talent becomes scarce, companies may have to switch back to retention packages. This quiet restructuring is changing thousands of career paths, yet its true scale remains largely invisible. Bijin Jose, an Assistant Editor at Indian Express Online in New Delhi, is a technology journalist with a portfolio spanning various prestigious publications. Starting as a citizen journalist with The Times of India in 2013, he transitioned through roles at India Today Digital and The Economic Times, before finding his niche at The Indian Express. With a BA in English from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, and an MA in English Literature, Bijin's expertise extends from crime reporting to cultural features. With a keen interest in closely covering developments in artificial intelligence, Bijin provides nuanced perspectives on its implications for society and beyond. ... Read More