Status of shares ?

To determine the status of shares held since 1996, you generally need to check for corporate actions such as mergers, acquisitions, name changes, or delisting. Here is the status of the companies you mentioned:

1. Mysore Cements Ltd.

• Status: The company was acquired by HeidelbergCement AG in 2006.

• Outcome: Following the acquisition, the company was renamed HeidelbergCement India Ltd. (now known as Heidelberg Materials India).

• Action: If you held physical shares, you would likely need to have them dematerialized (converted into a digital format) and updated to the current entity's records. You should contact the company’s Registrar and Transfer Agent (RTA) for assistance in tracing these shares.

2. SCICI (Shipping Credit and Investment Corporation of India)

• Status: SCICI was a major financial institution that was merged into ICICI Ltd. in 1997.

• Outcome: ICICI Ltd. subsequently merged into ICICI Bank in 2002.

• Action: As a result of these mergers, SCICI shares would have been converted into ICICI Bank shares based on a specific swap ratio. Because this happened a long time ago, these shares might have been transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) if they remained unclaimed for seven years. You should check the IEPF Authority website to see if these shares are listed as unclaimed.

3. Sterling Holidays

• Status: The company underwent significant restructuring over the years. Notably, in 2014, the resort and timeshare business of Sterling Holiday Resorts (India) Ltd. was demerged and transferred to a new entity (now known as Sterling Holiday Resorts Ltd.), while the remaining business was merged with Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

• Action: Shareholders of the original company typically received shares in the resulting entities as per the court-approved scheme of arrangement. You should check your records for any communications regarding the demerger or contact the company’s investor relations/RTA to inquire about your holdings.

Recommended Next Steps

To recover or verify your holdings, you should:

1. Check with RTAs: Identify the Registrar and Transfer Agent (RTA) for these companies (such as KFintech or Link Intime). They maintain historical records of shareholders.

2. Search the IEPF: If you have not received any dividends or updates for many years, it is highly likely the shares or the associated dividends have been transferred to the IEPF. You can search their database using your name or folio number.

3. Dematerialization: If you still hold physical share certificates, you must open a Demat account (if you don't have one) and approach the RTA to get the shares dematerialized, as physical share trading is largely discontinued.

4. Professional Help: Given that these are very old holdings, you may consider consulting a SEBI-registered investment advisor or a professional who specializes in "unclaimed share recovery."

Summary: The shares you hold have undergone mergers and acquisitions (SCICI merged into ICICI Bank, Mysore Cements became Heidelberg Materials, and Sterling Holidays underwent a demerger). They may now be held as shares in the successor companies or, if unclaimed for seven years, may have been transferred to the IEPF. You should verify your status through the IEPF portal or by contacting the respective company RTAs.