350 MSMEs to be set up in phase-1 of Pharma City in Telangana

Hyderabad, Jan 3 (KNN) Over 350 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are likely to set up projects in the first phase of the proposed Pharma City on the outskirts of Hyderabad, including about 120 big firms.

The government will allot land for pharma companies soon as the master plan for 12,500-acre Pharma City is expected to be ready by the end of January.

While talking with KNN, Past President of Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Dr. JAS Giri said that the move by state government will certainly boost the pharmaceutical sector.

“It will be a good move towards Pharmaceutical advancement. It is the second Pharma city to be set up at Telangana after the first situated at Andhra Pradesh,” said Giri.

A conceptual plan for the Telangana government's ambitious Pharma City project, proposed at Mucherla in Rangareddy district, has already been prepared by Singapore-based Surbana Jurong Private Ltd. Finer details of the master plan are being readied through a photogrammetry survey, in which photographs are used to map and ascertain measurements and other details.

According to a media report quoting Arvind Kumar, Pricipal Secretary of Industries, the tentative land allotment for the companies will begin from next month and will be completed by April 2017. But actual construction will start only after getting environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

While some pharma majors have sought as much as 200 to 300 acres for their firms, other smaller industries have asked for only 1,000 square metres.

Of the total 12,500 acres, Phase I of Pharma City will come up on 6,000 acres for which land acquisition has been completed by Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) with about Rs740 crore being spent both for the Pharma City and another manufacturing zone at Zaheerabad. While the Zaheerabad project has already been given National Investment Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) status, the Pharma City has received in-principle approval.

To speed up the project, the government has formed a special purpose vehicle 'Hyderabad Pharma City Limited' to oversee the project.