Ramky Pharma City (India) Limited having obtained consent for establishment of Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada from Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has applied for environment clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The company had a meeting with MoEF officials on December 11, 2004 and is expecting the clearance by January 2005, Dr KSM Rao, managing director of Ramky told Pharmabiz.

Once the Pharma City obtains MoEF clearance, it will take about 12 months for completing the construction of basic infrastructure facilities. The company has also assigned the National Institute of Oceanography to carry out oceanographic studies to confirm the findings of the Ramky, he added.

Dr Rao said, Ramky has set an example for self-regulation with regard to environmental regulations, which many pharmaceutical companies in the State did not concern all these days.

Out of the 1,330 acres land available at the Pharma City located at Parawada, near Visakhapatnam, about 750 acres have already been allocated to pharmaceutical industry. Over 50 pharmaceutical companies have already booked their land, of these about 45 companies are from Andhra Pradesh and the remaining are from other states of India. The members of BDMA are likely to get the land at subsidized rates, up to Rs 15 lakh per acre for about 450 acres of land at the Pharma City.

He informed, the Pharma City has a governing body consisting of nine members of which, three represent the AP Government, three represent the developer (Ramky), two represent the Bulk Drugs Manufacturers Association (BDMA) and one industry representative nominated by the State Government.

The Pharma City has also conceptualised the establishment of a 'Park Level Authority', headed by a development commissioner to look after all the regulatory affairs including that of pollution. The Pharma City is to offer all statutory clearances such as Consent for Establishment and Consent for Operation at the Park Level by Development Commissioner or Park Level Authority under a single window clearance concept. The proposal, which is yet to be accepted by the government, if considered, will ease and quicken the work, Dr Rao opined.

Only medium and large pharmaceutical companies can afford the world-class infrastructural facilities that the Pharma City is offering and few small players who are on an expansion spree are an exception. Following the ban order given by the Supreme Court few years ago on further expansion and setting up of new manufacturing facilities, the pharmaceutical industry in AP was in a confused state as it wanted to expand its operations with the growing markets and opportunities, and the Pharma City has come at the right time meeting the industry's growth requirements, official sources at Ramky said.

In the years to come, a good number of bulk drugs, formulations and fine chemicals (falling in line with pharmaceuticals) companies are going to make the Pharma City as their base. The Pharma City will also provide research and development facilities which can be utilised by the industry.

The Pharma City is India's first segment specific industrial theme park exclusively to house bulk drug manufacturing facilities and allied Fine Chemical Industries being developed by Ramky in association with AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited with an equity of 89 per cent and 11 per cent respectively on Build Own Operate basis at Parawada. The project is designed and master planned by JTC Jurong, Singapore.