Infocomm or ReIiance: Officials told to choose work place

Top executives of Reliance Infocomm, India’s largest private telecom company, have been asked whether they would like to stay with the company or move over to the group’s flagship company RIL, indicating thereby that the ownership of Infocomm may change from its current chairman Mukesh Ambani to the younger sibling Anil as part of a settlement of the feud between them.

Reliance group’s HR President V.V. Bhatt asked them to make their choice in a communication sent last month saying ‘‘you are undoubtedly aware of the possibility of a change of the management in Infocomm warranting the necessity to split the functions of state coordinators into Infocomm and industries separately should and as and when such change happen.’’

Interestingly, the top executives and many of the state coordinators have been asked to sign the ‘‘enclosed’’ format and send two separate sealed envolopes addressed to Bhatt’s own office at Dhirubhai Ambani knowledge centre and Anil Ambani at his office at Reliance centre at Ballard Estates, sources said.

Responding to the call, at least four top executives including COO Kamal Nanavati have desired switching to the parent company in the event of a split.

Others, whose name are indicated by the sources to have expressed desire to switch to RIL, include Bhagwan Khurana, director of managment services division, A.G. Dowda, head, Reliance Engineers Association Ltd and Amit Khanna, a high ranking official in corporate wing.