Gujarat to house animation SEZ
Gujarat may be the next destination for the country’s animation industry, which is expected to touch Rs4,200 crore by fiscal
2009. Targeting the sunrise industry, an unnamed developer has proposed an IT SEZ in Umargaon in south Gujarat, according
to state officials. Overseas entertainment giants including Walt Disney, Imax and Sony are expected to outsource cartoon characters and special effects to Gujarat once the SEZ is completed. Confirming the development, Gujrat’s IT secretary, Rajkumar Gupta, said
Umargaon near Valsad would perhaps be India’s first SEZ to target the animation industry. However, he declined to disclose the name of developer. According to a senior official in Industries Commissionerate,the government is considering the proposal and is likely to send it to the Centre for approval soon. Ramaprasad S, the executive director of Toonz Animation,which made Return of Hanuman and Tenali Rama, said, the move acknowledges the fact that India’s animation industry is receiving worldwide recognition.
Meanwhile, Mumbai-based Hiranandani Construction, emulating nationallevel realtors such as DLF and Raheja, is also setting up IT SEZ in Ahmedabad.Under the name of Myron Realtors Pvt. Ltd, the group has bought 27 acres of land on Sardar Patel Ring Road in
Ahmedabad’s Sanand taluka. The SEZ will house IT/ITeS units. This would boost the growth of IT industry in Gujarat, Gupta said.
Officials said the state government has cleared the proposal and sent it to the apex body for SEZs, the Board of Approval, for consideration. The two new special zones would take the total number of IT/ITES SEZs in the state to 16.
Related posts: