Compact Disc to set up Rs 500 cr knowledge park

The state-of-the-art park in Dehra Dun will be spread over 12 acres

Chandigarh-based Compact Disc India Ltd is going to set up a multimedia knowledge park in Uttaranchal with an investment of Rs 500 crore.

The company has floated a fully-owned subsidiary called Laser Infomedia Ltd to implement the project.

The state-of-the-art knowledge park complex in Dehra Dun will be spread over 12 acres and will have ready-to-move built-up spaces, a shopping plaza, apartment suites, residential apartments, and multi-level parking, besides an animation studio and an educational institution of world standards.

It will be made available to organisations globally in the field of information technology, multimedia production, electronics, computer robotics and allied business.

Speaking to Business Standard, Chairman of Compact Disc India Suresh Kumar said, "We are going to start construction in January and will go ahead with all the projects simultaneously." He said the park would generate 15,000 jobs, besides employing many more people indirectly.

"We have received five proposals from potential investors and international organisations willing to invest in the knowledge park," said Kumar.

Elaborating on his plans for the knowledge park, Kumar said the animation studio, covering an area of 80,000 square feet, would serve as a practical lab which "we can lease or use the facility to develop and create 2D/3D animation, multimedia effects for films, gaming and mobiles".

"Also, we have tied up with a Canadian Institute (one of the top five in Canada) which will give multimedia animation degrees for undergraduate and post-graduate students. Classes will commence from July next year with 60 students," said Kumar.

Initially, the faculty will come from Canada and the tie-up and registrations for the degrees, to be awarded by Uttaranchal University and the All Indian Council of the Technical Institute, are in the works.

The company's studio would feature latest animation production equipment such as workstations from manufacturers like SGI and Compaq and solution providers like Alias/Wave front, Discret logic, Cambridge animation. "We will incorporate facilities which are presently not available in the country like the motion capture camera, virtual reality service, blue screen service , rendering service," said Kumar.

Forty five thousand square feet area has been earmarked for multilevel parking with a capacity of 4,000-5,000 cars.The Uttranchal government has allotted 4acres for land near the Multimedia Knowledge Park for residential accommodation of the employees.

From entertainment, media production, distribution, and financing movies, Compact Disc India has diversified into multimedia and animation in 2003.

The company did an annual turnover of Rs 60 crore in 2004-05 and is targeting touching a turnover of Rs 75 crore in this financial year.

"Once the project gets going we should touch Rs 300 crore by 2006-07," said Kumar.

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The park will have ready-to-move spaces, a shopping plaza, apartment suites, residential apartments, multi-level parking

Its 80,000 sq feet animation studio will be leased and also used to create 2D/3D multimedia effects for films and mobiles

'The park will generate 15,000 jobs'