On March 30, 2025, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai issued a notice to Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Pvt. Ltd (SPCPL), a prominent real estate developer, in response to an insolvency plea filed by Chennai-based Intertouch Metal Buildings Pvt. Ltd. The roofing and cladding firm claims that SPCPL has failed to pay ₹2.72 crore for work completed at Port Blair Airport in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite repeated requests for payment, including a demand notice, the dues remain unpaid since October 2022. The NCLT has directed SPCPL to respond within seven days, with the next hearing scheduled for April 24, 2025.
In a significant legal development, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai has issued a notice to Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Pvt. Ltd (SPCPL) in response to an insolvency plea filed by Chennai-based Intertouch Metal Buildings Pvt. Ltd. The roofing and cladding firm, which had worked on the construction of the new terminal at Port Blair Airport in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, claims that it has not received payment for its services since October 2022. The pending amount is ₹2.72 crore, out of a total project value of ₹15 crore.
Intertouch Metal Buildings had been involved in the construction and erection of metal buildings at the newly developed airport, for which the Shapoorji Pallonji Group was awarded the tender. Despite the completion and operational status of the terminal, the firm asserts that payments have remained outstanding, causing significant financial strain.
The company had repeatedly reached out to Shapoorji Pallonji through emails, seeking resolution of the payment issue. Even after serving a demand notice, Intertouch Metal Buildings claims it received only a minimal ratification request, which they complied with, but the payment was not cleared.
The NCLT, upon hearing the matter, has directed Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. to respond within seven days, with the next hearing scheduled for April 24, 2025. This case follows a similar insolvency claim made in October 2024, when the Mumbai NCLT dismissed a plea filed by KBC Infrastructure against the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. In that case, the tribunal ruled that insolvency proceedings could not be misused for debt recovery when the amount is disputed or below the required threshold.
Shapoorji Pallonji Engineering & Construction (E&C), the general contractor for the Port Blair Airport terminal, had overseen the construction of the new terminal, which spans 40,837 square meters and was built at a cost of ₹710 crore. The terminal is designed to handle approximately 5 million passengers annually.
As the case progresses, the construction and real estate sectors will closely monitor the outcome, especially concerning how disputes related to unpaid dues and insolvency claims are handled in India’s legal system.
