The Hindu Business Line : KINFRA plans industrial park for printing sector

THE Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) is looking at setting up an export-oriented industrial park for the printing sector.

In addition to the `print park,' the company is also looking at setting up a `watercraft park' for the manufacture of boats and other marine vessels, said Mr A.S. Suresh Babu, Managing Director, KINFRA. Further details, including the location of both parks, are currently being worked out. Similarly, the company is also in discussions with the World Gold Council about the possibility of setting up a `gold park' in Kerala, he added.

According to Mr Suresh Babu, four of the six small industries parks operated by the company are full. Only the KINFRA small industries parks in Wayanad and Kasaragod currently have land for more units, he said. And with the establishment of the proposed Herbal Park in Wayanad, occupancy levels in the district's Small Industries Park are expected to increase, he added.

Meanwhile, construction work is progressing on the KINFRA Hi-Tech Park in Ernakualm, and the first occupants are expected to be able to move into the park within a year, he said. This park will include a special economic zone (SEZ) for electronics hardware, a biotechnology zone and an exhibition and convention centre, Mr Suresh Babu explained.

Similarly, the animation zone at the KINFRA Film and Video Park in Thiruvananthapuram is expected to be completed very soon. The 25-acre animation zone, which will have SEZ status, has generated a lot of interest from media companies, he said. The animation zone will have a building with 1,00,000 square feet of space, and companies can either buy space in this building or acquire land for their own building within the animation zone. Also on the anvil is an international animation school within the animation zone. The animation school is to be set up private sector participation and discussions on this venture are currently on.

The State Government has recently appointed KINFRA has the nodal agency for the implementation of the proposed metro rail system in Kochi. The company will work with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd on this project.