MARG (company)

Established in 1994, MARG Ltd is one of India's fastest growing infrastructure organizations and is listed by Dun & Bradstreet as among "India's Top 500 Companies 2011". The company is promoted by G R K Reddy, a first generation entrepreneur and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and its shares are traded on the NSE under the category of 'Permitted Security'. MARG Group employs over 1,000 people at various locations across India.

• 1994: Founded by G R K Reddy, a first generation entrepreneur.
• 1995: May: MARG announced an IPO (Raised Rs. 12 million) and began trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange
• 1995: December: Developed MARG Center, an 8,000 sq ft (740 m²). commercial complex in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
• 1996: Launched Sai Subhodaya Apartments in Chennai.
• 1998: Completion of Wescare Towers in Chennai.
• 2004: Completion of MARG's Digital Zone I, on the Chennai IT Corridor.
• 2006: Obtained the Government of Puducherry's concession for the development of a modern port at Karaikal
• 2006: Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds ( FCCB ) launched
• 2006: MOU with Oakwoord Asia Pacific for operation and management of serviced apartments.
• 2006: Entered into a joint venture with Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) to form Signa Infrastructure India Limited.
• 2007: March: Conceived the " Riverside Mall cum Business Hotel " project
• 2007: May: Formal approval for MARG's SPV, New Chennai Township Private Limited ( NCTPL )
• 2007: June: Completion of MARG Square, on the Chennai IT Corridor.
• 2007: July: Completion of Digital Zone II, on the IT Corridor.
• 2007: August: Launched "Ramlakshmi Enclave" in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh
• 2007: November: Launched Tapovan Villas
• 2008: February: Launched MARG Swarnabhoomi – the 24 Carat Neo City with 2 notified Special Economic Zones
• 2008: May: MARG to develop Fishing Harbour at Rajakkamangalam Thurai, near Kanyakumari.
• 2008: August: MARG Chennai Marathon in aid of Give Life Charity
• 2008: December: MARG awarded the contract for the development and operation of the Bijapur greenfield airport
• 2008: December: MARG signs Consultancy Agreement with Surbana of Singapore for prefab construction technology for MARG Swarnabhoomi
• 2009: January: Formal Approval for Port Based SEZ at Karaikal
• 2009: January: MARG launches Pushpadruma an apartment project at Kalavakkam on the Old Mahabalipuram Road in Chennai.[2]
• 2009: February: MARG and Bala Vidya Mandir, Chennai sign MoU to set up a concept school at MARG Swarnabhoomi called BVM Global.
• 2009: March: MARG launches Vishwashakti, an integrated township in the temple town of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
• 2009: April: Karaikal Port Inaugurated
• 2009: April: MoU signed with Chinmaya Heritage Centre for MARG Chennai Family Quiz 2009.[3]
• 2009: May: Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music Envisioned by Prasanna Launched[4]
• 2009: October: MARG Swarnabhoomi hosts a stop on AR Rahman's Jai Ho World Tour in aid of Shakti Foundation[5]
• 2009: October: MARG launches MARG ProperTies Brand for its real estate vertical
• 2009: October: MARG ProperTies launches Utsav apartments at MARG Swarnabhoomi
• 2009: November: Foundation stone laid for Utsav, Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music and Dhyaan Dham at MARG Swarnabhoomi by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar[6]
• 2010: January: Karaikal Port flags off its first railway cargo[7]
• 2010: February: MARG Puduvai Marathon in association with the Rotary Club of Pondicherry
• 2010: March: MoU signed with Virginia Tech, USA to set up Virginia Tech MARG Swarnabhoomi campus[8]
• 2010: April: MARG launches Savithanjali apartments on OMR in Chennai
• 2010: July: MARG launches Maha Utsav and Sky Meadows apartments at MARG Swarnabhoomi
• 2010: July: Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music commences with its Six Month Diploma Program
• 2010: Sep: Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music is officially inaugurated[9]
• 2010: Oct: IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) confirmed MARG Swarnabhoomi as the pilot project for platinum rated city in India[10]
• 2011: August: MARG Karaikal Port Launches Container Handling Services[11]
• 2011: August: Marg Institute of Design & Architecture, Swarnabhoomi launched at MARG Swarnabhoomi[12]
• 2011:November: Virgo Inaugurated at MARG Swarnabhoomi[13]
• 2011:December: Four Seasons, The affordable high rise apartment launched at MARG Swarnabhoomi
• 2012: January: KPPL Railways has despatched the 2000s Coal Rake on 15.01.2013 at 14.30 Hrs.
• 2012: April: MARG joins hand with Central Institute of Technology, Australia
• 2012: April: MARG collected the prestigious "Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility"[14]
• 2012: April Marg Vishwashakthi Township Phase - I Handed over to customers total 192 Flats.
• 2012: May: MARG ProperTies launches Pushkara, The Lake View Homes on OMR
• 2012: May: MARG signs MoU with Malaysian-based Limkokwing University of Creative Technology[15]
• 2013: Feb: Bengal Feeder Line launches service between MARG Karaikal Port, Colombo, Hindu Business Line[16]

MARG Group today operates the 'MARG Karaikal Port' having a current capacity of 21 million tonnes per year. In addition, the Group has developed 1.2 Mil sqft of residential space, delivered 1200 homes and has a customer base of over 4000. The Group is executing 21 major projects worth more than Rs. 3800 crores in varied domains through its EPC division. Major developments include a 1.85 million sq.ft. integrated development – 'MARG Junction Mall' and a unique 23 million sq. ft. integrated industrial and services township, 'MARG Swarnabhoomi'.

MARG's business is mainly structured across:

1. MARG Karaikal Port

2. Real Estate

       Residential – MARG ProperTies
                   - Homes at MARG Swarnabhoomi
       Commercial  – MARG Junction

3. MARG Swarnabhoomi

4. Serviced villa plots

5. MARG EPC

Awarded under BOT basis by the Government of Puducherry in 2006, MARG Karaikal Port is a port on the South East coast of India (Keezha Vanjore Village, Karaikal) with a sizable primary hinterland. It is the only all weather, deep water, multi- commodity port between the Chennai port & Tuticorin ports on this 680 km coastline having the advantage of being served by 4 national highways and rail connectivity through 6 private railway sidings. Notably, MARG Karaikal Port is the only port in India to have in-house logistic solutions & dredging facility.

The Port has completed development with 5 berths to handle capacity of 21 million tonnes per year including 2 cape size berths for handling bulk cargo, 2 pananmax size berths for general cargo & container and 1 berth dedicated for handling smaller vessels up to 25000 DWT. Phase 3 completion work which will lead to a total of 9 berths capable of handling 47 million tonnes per year is underway. Over 500 major vessels were berthed since commissioning of the Port.

Diversified cargo mix

MARG Karaikal port is a multi-cargo port and currently handles all types of dry cargo, in bulk and break bulk form, as well as containers and liquid cargo.

Bulk: Coal, fertilizer, sugar, gypsum, agricultural products

Break bulk: Bagged cement, bagged sugar, stell plates & pipes, project cargo

Liquid bulk: Crude oil, Edible oil, petroleum, oils & lubricants

Containers: All types

MARG Karaikal Port has earned a number of customers across cargo types like HOEC & Reliance in OSV/PSV. Krishna & Co. and Madras Cements for general cargo. Madras Cements, Chettinad Cements, India Cements, Bhatia International, Coal & Oil, Devendran Coal, JSW, MALCO, TNPL, Seshasayee Paper Boards Limited (SPBL), Dalmia Cements, Adani Enterprises for coal. Thiru Aaroon Sugars for raw sugar. South India Edible Oil for copra cake. Coromandel Fertilizers, Nagarjuna Fertilizers, Zuari for fertilizers. Nagarjuna Oil Corporation, ENI, BHEL for project cargo.

Existing cargoes are expected to increase at 5% p.a. continuously. TNEB Mettur and Nagai Power are in final stages of completion and expected to add significant volumes with certainty. Further increase in potential is expected through terminalization & setting up of industries near the port. Other non-coal cargoes like fertilizers, sugar, liquid cargo, containers, iron ore, limestone, wheat, maize, edible oil, fire clay, sugar, wheat, scrap have been added and have a potential to contribute significantly to the traffic

Storage Facilities

MARG Karaikal Port has an open storage area of 6,00,000 m² with storage capacity of 3 million tons of coal, iron ore, gypsum and general cargo. The Port is poised to handle consistent volumes of liquid cargo through 4 oil tanks with a combined capacity of 19,000 KL of which 3800 × 2 is earmarked for edible oil and 5650 × 2 for CPO.

The port has 12 closed warehouses (total area of 85,000 m²) with storage capacity of 2.25 lac tons of fertilizer, food grains, sugar, cement and other clean cargo. Also, it has a dedicated storage yard of 800 plus ground slots for containers with a capacity of 5000 TEU's.

Companies dealing in Coal, Fertilisers, Agri- Products, Liquid cargoes, Containers & LNG are keen to collaborate with MARG Karaikal Port. Terminalisation opportunities are being explored for coal terminal, liquid cum cargo terminal, LNG terminal and container terminal. An in-depth study on terminalisation modalities & possibilities is being undertaken by leading consultants.

Connectivity

MARG Karaikal Port is served by 4 national highways - NH 45, NH 67, NH 45A & NH 45C. The Port has developed 6 private railways sidings within 6 months of commencement of operations. Rail link connects the port to major manufacturing hubs of cement, steel, chemical, aluminum & textile in Ariyalur, Trichy and Salem districts. So far, over 2700 rakes of cargo were handled.

MARG Logistics Private Limited (MLPL)

MARG Logistics is a fully owned subsidiary of MARG Ltd offering logistics services to EXIM customers of the Port.

It presently offers stevedoring, transportation services & container feeder services for customers of MARG Karaikal Port.

Stevedoring Services: MARG Logistics offers stevedoring services at MARAG Karaikal port.

Road Logistics:

Container Feeder Service: Container feeder service opens up connections to the agro-industrial heartland of Central Tamil Nadu, Karaikal and Pondicherry.

Prospective business includes coal trading, coastal shipping & land logistics (coal), coastal shipping & land logistics (cotton) and logistics infrastructure.

MARG International Dredging Pte Ltd (MIDPL)

MARG ventured into dredging and established a dredging division through incorporation of its Singapore based subsidiary 'MARG International Dredging Pte Ltd', in 2009, which is an asset owning company. A backward integration to 'MARG Karaikal Port' operations, presently MIDPL has two dredgers – Cutter Suction Dredger, 'MARG Cauvery' and Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger, 'MARG Vaigai'.

MARG Cauvery is an all-welded steel non-propelled cutter section dredger suitable for harbour dredging. The dredger was built in 2007 at China. The dredger is fitted with spuds for positioning during the dredging operations. For slurry, the capacity is 2000 m³/h over a distance of 3,000 m through 750 mm nominal diameter discharge pipes. The cutter is spiral type with cutting teeth fitted on the edges. MARG Vaigai is a Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger suitable for harbour and sea dredging. The dredger was built in the year 2006 by Zhoushan Zhaobao Ship building & Repairing Co. Ltd. at China. It has an overall length of 105.6 m and hopper capacity of 5399.86 m³. Its full load displacement is 10872 MT and it has a speed of 11 knots.

Dredging Operations:

More than 20 million m³ of dredging for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of MARG Karaikal Port has been done. In addition MIDPL has completed Paradip project through sub-charter to Mercator Limited. Dredging work for other ports is also being developed. MIDPL is expanding its dredging business in Indian subcontinent and beyond with major projects already awarded being Taipei Port project, Taiwan and Mahe fishing harbour project. Other projects in pipeline are Gopalpur Project, POSCO captive Port, ILFS power plant cum captive port at Cuddalore and MARG Karaikal Port.

Mugaiyur Port

MARG Group is developing a Greenfield shipyard cum minor port near Mugaiyur in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. The project is conceptualized as an integrated facility offering a multi-commodity cargo port and a ship repair yard at a single location.

MARG's residential spaces ranging from affordable homes to ultra luxury homes are covered under the aegis of 2 residential brands:

• MARG ProperTies

MARG ProperTies, the residential arm of the infrastructure major MARG, is one of the real estate developers in Chennai, offering homes to all segments viz. affordable homes, urban smart homes, integrated township, serviced residences and ultra luxury homes.

As of 2018, there have been several reported issues in the media related to Marg ProperTies. Many of these include delays in handover of the Marg Brindavan project located near Oragadam area in Chennai.[17] The project was launched with a great deal of fanfare and with the slogan "Goodbye Landlady" and received a positive response with its media coverage. However, many of the buyers who had booked apartments with this project in late 2010 and in 2011 have reported no handover of these flats as of April 2018. This was also escalated with the arrest of the Chairman of Marg Group, GRK Reddy in November 2017 after a complaint was filed against him for cheating a buyer of Rs. 25 lakh. The complainant had said that despite paying the money, Marg properties had not provided the apartment he has purchased.[18][19]

Many petitions have also been filed on Change.Org to protest against the delays in Marg ProperTies projects.

Also in September 2017, Marg ProperTies was one of the two builders pernalized by Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA) for non-registration of projects before the deadline as proposed by the Authority. .[20]

MARG is currently developing MARG Junction - a large 1.85 million sq ft integrated development comprising a mall, serviced residences, club and banquet on a large 7.3-acre property located in Karapakkam on the Old Mahabalipuram Road.

MARG Swarnabhoomi is an industrial and services township. Located on the scenic growth corridor of East Coast Road (ECR), midway between Chennai and Puducherry. Designed by architects, HOK (USA), MARG Swarnabhoomi is Indian Green Building Council's (IGBC) pilot project for "Platinum Rated City". It is envisaged to have a population of more than 50,000 in the form of working professionals, domestic & international students and retired senior citizens.

MARG Foundation India, MARG's EPC division provides towards design, engineering, material procurement, field services and construction & project management services for infrastructure sector and real estate projects.

• Official Website