Compact Disc's Kerala centre to be ready by year-end

Integrated media and entertainment company, Compact Disc India Ltd (CDI), will start operations from Kerala by this year end.

The company is working on setting up a major hub at Thiruvananthapuram in another 11 months.

Gautam Seengal, managing director, Compact Disc India, told Business Standard, "We will begin operations at the Kinfra Film and Gaming SEZ in the state capital suburb of Kazhakkoottam in another 11 months' time. The land has been acquired and the layout is ready. Shapoorji Pallonji is the main architect of the project".

CDI plans to pump in an investment of Rs 50.29 crore into the Kerala centre, said Seengal. The amount will be mopped up through internal accruals.The centre will have all facilities ranging from motion capture, CD animation movie making, gaming and the like.

The company plans to shift its entire operations from Chennai to the Kinfra Film and Gaming SEZ, which is the first-of-its-kind in India.

"We will have 300-plus professionals working at the Thiruvananthapuram centre. We will also be recruiting professional talent to man our animation projects in Kerala," Seengal said.

The BSE-listed company aims to double its turnover to Rs 103 crore in 2008.