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Oil Cos strengthen profits as consumers suffer from high fuel prices

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petrol

The oil price rise may have hit the fuel consumers hard, but it is the oil companies that have made the most from the current situation, strengthening their margin on the sale of petrol and diesel and jacking up profits.

At the current prevailing high fuel price levels in the country, the marketing margin taken by the oil marketing companies (OMCs) on retail sale of petrol and diesel has touched a high of around Rs 3 per litre.

What this means is that while rising fuel prices earlier burned a bigger hole in the consumers’ pockets, the OMCs have increased their earnings and are getting a lift in the current difficult environment created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a research report from ICICI Securities, oil marketing companies are expected to strengthen their earnings in July-September quarter of FY22 on the back of rising marketing margin and improved gross refining margin.

The brokerage said that auto fuel net marketing margin has surged to Rs 3.08 per litre in Q2FY22- till date from Rs 1.43 per litre in Q1FY22 on hefty price hikes and international price fall.

Net margin is at Rs 2.06 a litre in FY22-TD, at Rs 4.42 per litre at latest domestic and international prices, and on track to be in line with, or even higher, than our estimate of Rs 2.5 a litre in FY22E, the brokerage said.

The margins for oil companies have risen as diesel and petrol prices were hiked by Rs 9.3-11.4 per litre respectively since May 3. The fall in international prices from peak also boosted auto fuel net marketing margin that rose above Rs 3 per litre in Q2 of FY22 till date.

ICICI Securities report said though petrol and diesel prices have been cut by Rs 0.50-1.25 per litre since August 18, still companies net margin is on track to be in line with or even higher than estimated Rs 2.5 per litre.

For all the OMCs, the gain is coming in wake of regular revision of retail price of petrol and diesel since the beginning of the financial year. Since then, the pump price of petrol had increased on 41 occasions. This as per analysts may have hurt fuel consumers but has pushed up marketing margins for OMCs back to about Rs 3 a litre. This means companies are gaining from the rise more than expected.

Business

Mumbai’s Chembur & Malabar Hill To Undergo ₹4,800 Crore Redevelopment By Bengaluru-Based Builders

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Mumbai: A Bengaluru-based real estate developer, Puravankara Ltd, has announced two major redevelopment projects in Mumbai, adding significant weight to its western portfolio in the first half of the current financial year. The company, which has also added two projects in Bengaluru, has recorded a total gross development value (GDV) of ₹9,100 crore across all four projects.

In Mumbai, Puravankara has bagged a marquee redevelopment project in the upscale Malabar Hill area of South Mumbai. Spread across 1.43 acres, the project will offer 0.7 million square feet of development potential, valued at around ₹2,700 crore.

The second project is located in Chembur and involves 1.2 million square feet of development on 4 acres of land, carrying an estimated value of ₹2,100 crore. Both projects are part of Puravankara’s strategy to strengthen its redevelopment footprint in Mumbai’s prime and emerging residential zones, according to a report by HT.

“Our growth momentum remains strong, supported by sustained demand and timely project execution,” said Ashish Puravankara, Managing Director of Puravankara Ltd. “In the first half of FY26, we expanded our portfolio with over 6.36 million square feet of developable area worth around ₹9,100 crore.”

The company reported pre-sales of ₹1,322 crore in the July–September quarter of FY26, up 4% from ₹1,270 crore last year. For the first half of FY26, total pre-sales stood at ₹2,445 crore, also reflecting a 4% increase. The average realisation improved to ₹8,814 per sq ft in Q2 FY26, up 7% year-on-year.

Industry experts note that Mumbai’s redevelopment market continues to attract strong interest from national developers, thanks to rising property prices and limited land availability. With its Malabar Hill and Chembur projects, Puravankara is positioning itself as a key player in the city’s high-value redevelopment segment.

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Business

BLS International shares crash 17 pc after MEA bars company from new tenders for 2 years

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Mumbai, Oct 13: Shares of BLS International Services plunged sharply on Monday after the Government barred the company from participating in future tenders of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian Missions abroad for the next two years.

The stock crashed as much as 17.85 per cent to hit a 52-week low of Rs 277 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The MEA had issued the directive on October 9, restricting BLS International from bidding for new tenders.

However, the company clarified that the order will not affect its ongoing contracts or financial performance.

“This development does not impact the company’s current financials or ongoing operations. All existing contracts with Indian Missions across the globe remain valid and continue to operate as scheduled,” BLS International said in a regulatory filing.

“Additionally, the order will not have any significant bearing on the company’s financial outlook,” the firm added.

The company added that it is working to resolve the issue and considers it a procedural development within the visa outsourcing industry.

“We remain confident of a constructive resolution in due course,” the company stated.

In the first quarter of FY26, Indian Missions contributed around 12 per cent to BLS International’s consolidated revenue and about 8 per cent of its EBITDA.

Despite its recent fall, BLS International has been a strong long-term performer. The stock has declined 21 per cent in the past month, over 24 per cent in three months, and nearly 40 per cent so far in 2025.

However, it has still gained 17 per cent in two years and delivered a massive 1,455 per cent return over the past five years.

During the early trade, BLS International shares were trading 14.40 per cent lower at Rs 288.65 on the BSE.

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ED Seizes ₹42 Lakh, Luxury Cars In Mumbai Drug Money Laundering Probe

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Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs 42 lakh in cash, three luxury cars, property papers, and several digital devices during a search operation on Wednesday targeting a drug trafficking and money laundering network. The agency also froze multiple bank accounts and a locker linked to alleged drug trafficker Faisal Javed Shaikh and his wife, Alfiya Faisal Shaikh.

Officials said the searches were conducted at nine locations across Mumbai under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The operation aimed to trace the drug sale proceeds generated by a well-established narcotics network allegedly operated by the couple.

The ED initiated its money laundering probe based on a case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai Zonal Unit, against multiple accused, including Faisal Shaikh, Alfiya Shaikh, and several others, including Ashik Varis Ali, Nasir Khan, Irfan Yusuf Faruqi, Azim Abu Salim Khan alias Azim Bhau, Faizan Mohd. Shafi Shaikh, and Mohd. Shahid Faridudin Chaudhary alias Baboos.

Investigators said Faisal Shaikh was procuring MD (Mephedrone) drugs from Salim Dola, a notorious drug kingpin who has been wanted by law enforcement agencies for his alleged role in large-scale narcotics trafficking. The NCB has announced a reward for information leading to Dola’s arrest.

After securing bail in the NCB case, Shaikh, described by officials as a habitual offender, was placed under preventive detention under the PIT-NDPS Act.

The ED’s probe revealed that Faisal and Alfiya Shaikh allegedly ran a structured network for the sale of MD drugs sourced from Dola. During Wednesday’s searches, the agency also covered premises connected to several individuals associated with shell companies with paper transactions exceeding Rs 100 crore, as well as firms involved in foreign outward remittances and financial dealings with the accused. Officials said these entities are being examined for their possible role in layering drug proceeds and routing the funds abroad through channels such as hawala, shell companies, and trade-based mis-invoicing.

Officials said the ED searches were critical to tracing both the “forward linkage” (movement of drug sale proceeds) and “backward linkage” (sources, beneficiaries, and conduits of funds), including whether the proceeds were channelled abroad via hawala, shell companies, or trade mis-invoicing. The seized and frozen assets including cash, bank accounts, lockers, vehicles, property documents, and digital devices are being examined under the lens of money laundering.

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