The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers located at Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), Ankleshwar, Panoli and Jhagadia in Gujarat have urged the government to allow them to expand production of both existing and new drugs.

At present the units located in GIDC, Ankleshwar, Panoli and Jhagadia in Gujarat cannot expand their production capacity as the ministry of environment and forests has imposed a blanket ban, since January 2010 and declared all the three industrial estate areas as critically polluted zone which means they cannot step up their production of both existing and new drugs.

Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA) has recently written to the chairman of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and Secretary of Department of Pharmaceuticals for immediate withdrawal of moratorium from Ankleshwar and Panoli areas for the survival of API industry.

The association explained that these industrial estates have implemented various action plans suggested by CPCB from time to time including establishment of Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP); creation of common hazardous waste land fill site; establishment of common incinerator; laying of effluent convince line-up to deep sea; establishing under ground drainage line for carrying effluent; massive tree plantation and creation of clean technology development centre.

Further it says, “In spite doing all these, units are not allowed to increase the production. This is not only affecting financial health of individual companies but also increasing our current dependence on China for API and collectively depriving the nation of foreign exchange. There is capacity of making import substitute products as well as exporting at competitive price to international market.”

The GIDC, Ankleshwar was established in 1970, it is the major chemical manufacturing hub of India. It is supported by two satellite estates namely Panoli and Jhagadia. Major API manufacturing companies have manufacturing plant in these area which includes Sun Pharma, ZydusCadila, Lupin. Wockhardt, Cadila Pharma, Glenmark, JB Chemicals etc.

Yogin Majumdar, past president of IDMA says, “The government of India has declared the year 2015 as the year of APIs, so it is necessary that domestic industry increases the production of existing and new drugs, but with the ban imposed on Anklweshwar, Panoli and Jhagadia has lead to the stagnation and made us highly dependent on China. Approximately 70 per cent of the API is imported from China.”

The association states that the industries are fully aware of their responsibility toward the environment and do not wish any relaxation in environment norms and conditions. The only request from the industries is to allow them to grow horizontally and vertically with taking full care of pollution related rules and regulations. The plight of pharmaceutical industry is more pitiable as this is most dynamic sector as far as introduction of new products and processes are concerned.