The Telangana state government has decided to put the much hyped Hyderabad Pharma City (HPC) project on fast track and is taking all measures to get the environment clearance from the center by end of next month. As the crucial environmental hearing is scheduled on 18th September next month the government is determined to get the environmental clearance and accelerate the process of construction of pharma city project.

“Indeed, the Pharma City project is going to become a huge conglomeration of pharmaceutical manufacturing and other related industries. However, the major hurdle for the project is the environmental clearance, once this is cleared, only then the industry players will be able to ground their set up their shops. We are very much optimistic and hopeful that everything in will be in place in the next one to two years,” said  Jayanth Thagore, president of Bulk Drugs Manufacturing Association.

Though, initially the state government had proposed to set up the Pharma City project over 12,000 acres, now keeping in view the future expansions of the industry and its related sectors like research and, academic institutions, the government has decided to allocate an area of more than 19,000 spreading across 3 mandals of Kandukur, Yacharam and Kadthal in Ranga Reddy district.

To alley the doubts about pollution by environmentalists, the government released a detailed environmental assessment report (EIA) in which it dismissed their apprehensions that the project may turn bane for the local ecology. “At present the status of the project is still at the land acquisition stage. An extent of about 6,209 acres of government land has already been transferred to Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, while another 400 acres is already with the TSIIDC. Another about 2,700 acres of government land and 9,800 acres of private land are yet to be acquired,” informed a senior official from TSIIDC.

According to officials the entire Pharma City will be divided into six zones for industrial and non-industrial development. A major portion of the Pharma City will be occupied by the pharmaceutical manufacturing firms, while the rest will be used for setting up a pharma university, research and development and ancillary hub and a township.

As per the EIA report, an area of more than 110 acres is covered with water bodies in the Pharma City area and the entire project area is degraded upland with undulating terrain and sparse vegetation.  There are reserve forests situated around the site and while the government claims that there will be zero waste water discharge and thus no water pollution, the EIA report admits that air pollution is a major concern.  “As majority industries will be bulk drug manufacturers, the industrial players will use boilers to produce steam with coal as fuel and this will be a big source of air pollution. Around 230 boilers each of 10 tonnes per hour capacity will release toxic pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. A 250 mega watt gas fuelled engine coupled cogeneration plant will be another source of air pollution. A three mega watt waste to energy plant has also been proposed which will also be another source of pollution,” mentioned the EIA report.

However, EIA report finally concluded that despite all these sources of pollutions emanated from the Pharma City, the level of air pollution will be within the prescribed limits.