The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) is yet to receive the nod from the state government of Kerala for setting up the proposed biotechnology parks at Ernakulam, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram.

According to G C Gopala Pillai, KINFRA is awaiting the state government''s nod for going ahead with the projects that KINFRA mooted in order to put Kerala on the biotechnology map.

"We are awaiting the government''s nod. We do not know the reason for the delay but KINFRA is ready to undertake the establishment ofthe three parks," Pillai maintained.

KINFRA, it can be recalled, has already vetted the proposal of setting up the biotechnology park with the state government in June this year. It was for the second time that KINFRA submits the proposal. It had to do so when there was a change in the state government. The present government is still to give the clearance to the new proposal submitted with it.

Sources in the government however refused to divulge the reason for the delay in giving the nod. It is reported that the Kerala government is keeping in abeyance the proposal mainly due to its poor financial revenues besides the reason of the financial assistance it could extend.

KINFRA was supposed to promote the biotechnology park in association with the newly set up Kerala Venture Capital Fund (KVCF) that has been promoted jointly by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), Kerala State Industrial Financial Corporation (KSIFC) and KINFRA. KVCF has a corpus fund of Rs. 20 crore and is the first such venture fund promoted in the state. KVCF envinced keen inte-rest in the project.

The proposed parks were to have industrial, commercial and R&D infrastructure of international class, including pre-constructed building space, developed plots and power besides water and telecom facilities. However the key feature of these parks were the thrust on commercial production activities rather than focusing only on R&D activities. The focus areas included pharmaceutical, food processing, nutrition, fermentation technology, veterinary medicine and biomedicine engineering.