Birla succession plan may become public next week

KOLKATA: The complete succession plan of the Rs10,000-crore KK Birla Group is likely to be known once his will is opened next week.

Following the demise of KK Birla on Saturday, the baithak (prayer meet) would take place for three days beginning Sunday. “The will is likely to be opened after that,” sources close to the Birla group said. Birla has three daughters, Nandini Nopany, Shobhana Bhartia and Jyoti Poddar.

He left behind about 15 companies, some of which are listed and some closely held.  His sugar and textile businesses have already gone to Chandra Shekhar Nopany, son of Nandini, and the engineering units and Texmaco to Saroj Poddar, husband of Jyoti. The media business has gone to Bhartia.

However,  sources said, it is not known who would inherit the fertiliser business, which has two companies Chambal Fertilisers with a turnover of Rs3,500 crore and Zuari with a turnover of Rs2,500 crore. “Once the will is opened, it will be clear to whom the fertiliser businesses will go.”

Correction
A sentence in the report on Birla’s demise (on Page 8 of Sunday’s edition) erroneously said he left behind his wife. In fact, he lost his wife Manorama Devi, last month as the same report subsequently said.