In the continuing crackdown on real estate developers, Unitech, supposed to be the second largest builder, has fallen in the net of law. On December 8, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) suspended eight directors on the board of hugely-indebted real estate company Unitech and allowed the government to appoint its nominee directors, following a government petition in this regard. This exceptional move by the government to take over the management of a firm to protect investor interest comes nine years after a similar management takeover of Hyderabad-based infotech major Satyam. Unitech is suspected to have diverted or siphoned off a lot of public money. And so the appointment of govt directors may help the company restore order and start construction of housing projects which are said to have been delayed by as much as five years. The government had approached NCLT alleging mismanagement in the company, which it said was jeopardizing public interest, particularly the interest of home buyers. It had also alleged siphoning of funds by the incumbent management.