The ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has accorded environmental clearance to the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City project at Parawada near Visakhapatnam on March 10, 2005 (under EIA Notification dated 27th January, 1994), Dr KSM Rao, managing director of Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd told Pharmabiz.

The Pharma City is being developed through the Nodal Agency, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (APIIC) with the participation of private partners. The project has been awarded to Ramky Group. The project envisages industrial theme park providing manufacturing facilities for chemical, bulk drug and pharmaceutical industries.

The Pharma City located in Parawada Village, 24 Kms west of Visakhapatnam spread over an area of 862 hectre of land with facilities encompassing common infrastructure (roads, power, water, drainage, etc.), environment infrastructure (effluent conveyance system, CETP, Marine Outfall, Common Hazardous Waste Management Facility, etc), other facilities (solvent recovery facilities, bulk container depots, etc.) and social infrastructure (banks, restaurants, hospitals etc.).

The public hearing for the project was conducted at Parawada on July 18, 2004. The consent for establishment of Pharma City was awarded by AP Pollution Control Board on 22 September, 04. Around 80 to 100 industrial units will be established in plot sizes from 2ha to 25 ha. Total water requirement for the project is estimated at 70 MLD (70,000 cubic metres per day) for processes, power plant utilities and green belt uses.

It may be noted that the Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd (RPCIL), Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and The Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA) have entered into a sale and development agreement during January 2005. Under this agreement, about 450 acres of land will be sold to the BDMA members.

AP Govt has exempted about 50 per cent of conversion charges payable by RPCIL to Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority for setting up the Pharma City at Parawada near Visakhapatnam. RPCIL and APIIC had earlier sought a waiver of environmental clearance for individual industries under the cluster concept, according to sources.