KOCHI, 15 September 2007 — The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which runs India’s first corporate airport, has recorded a growth of 15 percent in revenues last fiscal year, the company’s 13th annual general meeting was told. Shriram Bharath, managing director of CIAL, said the CIAL has become a zero debt company and it would now concentrate on expansion projects. The development of the international departure terminal was in its final stages and it also aims at implementing Terminal CUTE system, which will enable CIAL to be in constant touch with all airlines and airport counters worldwide.

Infosys Campus to Be Ready in a Year<\b>

Infosys Technologies’ new campus at the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram would be ready within a year, according to its managing director and chief operating officer Kris Gopalakrishnan. “We are just waiting for the rains to get over to start work on the new campus. We should be able to complete the work within a year then,” he said. The new campus would initially have two blocks with a total seating capacity for 4,000 employees. Infosys also plans to locate some of its business process outsourcing (BPO) operations on the new campus from Bangalore and Pune, he said.

Smart Village to Be Set Up<\b>

Malayalee Realtors India Private Limited will set up a Smart Village at a place between the Cochin International Airport and SmartCity Kochi being developed by Dubai’s Tecom Investments. The 55-acre “village” will attract an investment of Rs.5 billion and the first phase would be completed in five years, the company’s chairman Sabu Karikkassery said. The company plans to build 60 premium villas, 40 raw houses, 1,080 apartments and 384 studio apartments in the first phase. A mini theater, restaurant, conference hall, banquet hall, library, club house, health club, multi-gym, jogging track, swimming pool and parking area for 2,500 cars are also planned in the village.

Eco-Tourism Project <\b>

The government is planning to launch Malabar-Mangalore Eco-Tourism Circuit covering the northern districts, Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said. It would focus on the rivers and waterways in the region and the government would seek financial assistance from the federal government for implementing the Rs.5.88 billion project, he told the Kerala Assembly adding the government was laying emphasis on the concept of “responsible tourism” featuring environment-friendly schemes that would ensure benefits to the local community. Some 269,000 foreign and 3.275 million domestic tourists have visited the state during the six-month period till June this year.

Arabian Flavor to Kerala Spices<\b>

The Kerala-based Eastern Group and the UAE-based Jaleel Traders LLC have joined hands to set up a spices and grains processing facility in the UAE.

M.E. Meeran, chairman of the Rs.2 billion Eastern Group and Sameer K. Mohammed, managing director of Jaleel Traders LLC, said the total investment in the plant in Ras Al Khaimah would be approximately Rs.300 million and would be shared equally by the two companies.

“The Eastern Condiments will provide us with powdered spices and pulses and the joint venture Eastern Middle East would mix them with their Arabian cousins to market in the Gulf,” said Mohammed.

“The products would be available in the Gulf market within three months. Our mission is to become part of every kitchen and we also have plans to reach out to Europe,” he added.

Meeran said the new venture would help the company to consolidate and expand market share in West Asian region. “Eastern is already the leading brand in packed curry powder and masala segment in the UAE. The new facility would help us to derive more value for the company,” he said.

“The partnership would help both companies to pool expertise in our respective areas to create a better value for our customers,” Mohammed said. “Our strength lies in retail distribution while Eastern is known for manufacturing and processing capacity,” he said.

Started in 1972, the Jaleel Group is among the leading wholesalers with an impressive portfolio of over 5,000 products and branches across the UAE, employing more than 670.

The group with a total turnover of Rs.6 billion has a vast supplier network from across the globe and imports a range of products from India, Italy, Pakistan, China, Kenya, Holland, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and South Africa.