Gaining power

New Delhi : Even until two years ago the odds seemed stacked against it. First, it was seen as a regional player in the infrastructure sector. Second, to the world outside, the largely family-run company seemed to thrive under political patronage. If that was not enough, over the years the group had diversified into unrelated areas which made the operations unwieldy.

After more than two decades of operations, the Rs 8,000-crore group — which started its innings in 1986 as SV Contractors — found itself in the unenviable position of having to reinvent itself or risk being pigeonholed.