The Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City located at Parawada near Visakhapatnam is seeking additional 250 acres of land at Parawada to meet the requirements of bulk drug companies. The sources at Ramky Pharmy City (the developer) told Pharmabiz that the company is actively pursuing additional land, and once the local authorities sanction received for the suitable land for development, land acquisition process can be initiated.

The Pharma City has already sold over 750 acres of land to various bulk drug companies. The bulk drug companies that are to set up manufacturing units in the Pharma city include Aurobindo Pharma, Indswift labs, Hetero Drugs, Matrix Labs, Shasun Chemicals, SMS Pharmaceuticals, Suven Life Sciences and Orchid Chemicals.

The developers expect the common infrastructural facilities at the Pharma City to be in place by June 2006.

The Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA) and Ramky along with Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) have entered into sale and development agreements, early this year.

The State Government has also 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.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has accorded environmental clearance to the Pharma City on March 10, 2005 (under EIA Notification dated 27th January, 1994).

The Pharma City is conceived to be India's first product specific industrial theme park exclusively to house bulk drugs and allied chemical manufacturing industries being developed in 2,120 acres of land by Ramky in association with APIIC with an equity of 89 per cent and 11 per cent respectively on public-private partnership (PPP) model on build own operate (BOO) basis.