___________

Following is an excerpt from a Business Standard report in sify.com.

Construction work on the Rs 100-crore Konark Knowledge Park, a biotech-pharma-IT hub, being developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited on around 65 acres of land at Andharua on the outskirts of the city, is set to take off by March 2011.

"The biotech park would have all statutory clearances within four months and construction work will begin soon after that", an official source told Business Standard.

… The land leveling for this project is already over and efforts are underway to provide piped water and power supply to the park.

The park is set to be completely operational within eight years of the commencement of construction work.The park would have a Biotechnology Incubation Centre spread over 10 acres. The incubation centre to be developed within the park would cater to the needs of the researchers, entrepreneurs and students.

The Centre would provide equipment called the biotech incubator worth Rs 25 crore for the incubation centre.The biotech industry in the country is growing at a very good pace and this incubation centre is set to emerge as a Centre of Excellence.

The Konark Kowledge Park is the first of its kind venture to be developed on the public private partnership (PPP) mode in the state in the field of science and technology.

… The Industrial Infrastructure Corporation of Orissa (Idco) has been appointed as the nodal agency for the development of this integrated park would provide all external infrastructure facilities like roads, water supply and electricity for this complex.

The above is from Samaja. Following is an excerpt from a report in Economics Times by Nageshwar Patnaik.

A knowledge park is coming up here at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. This is the first public private partnership integrated industrial park by Government of Orissa and Bharat Biotech International [BBI].

Work at the 100 crore ‘Konark Knowledge Park’ at Mouza-Andharua near the state capital here began today with the ground breaking ceremony held here on Sunday. …

The project aims to boost investments in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in the state of Orissa. When completed, this infrastructure will create world-class, state-of-the-art research and development enterprises in an exceptional environment designed to foster novel approaches to healthcare and its delivery.

The state government has allocated 64.86 acres of land (30 acres in Phase I and 24.86 acres in phase II) including 10 acres of land for development of Biotech Incubation Centre through a Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV] for development of an integrated industrial park to attract and promote biotechnology, pharmaceutical and information technology industries here. The land for park has been allocated in the form of a long term lease to the SPV named Konark Knowledge Park Pvt. Ltd.

The SPV will execute the Lease cum Development Agreement with Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO). The project is expected to be completed over a period of 8 years.

… Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) will provide all external infrastructure facilities, such as four-way lane roads to the gate, uninterrupted water supply, uninterrupted power with 33KVA sub-station, sewage etc to facilitate rapid development of internal infrastructure.

BBI has successfully developed an integrated Agri-Biotech Park in Bangalore and establishment of Genome Valley BioPharmaceutical cluster located in the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Following is from a report in Expressbuzz.

The Mission Biofuels India Pvt Limited has submitted a proposal to the State Government to set up a biodiesel refinery in Orissa.

The Mumbai-based company has sought 35 hectares of land to set up the refinery at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company Asish Swaroop today met Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy at the Secretariat to discuss the proposal.

The company gave a power point presentation on the project.

The project is expected to give returns from the fourth year. It is estimated that 3 kg of jatropha yields one litre of bio-diesel, the production cost of which comes to around Rs 22. The company has invested Rs 40 crore for taking up jatropha cultivation in 12 districts of the State. The cultivation will be taken up on the land of BPL families with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) funds.

Around five lakh acres will be covered by 2011 for which a 200-member team of the company is working in Orissa to promote jatropha cultivation.

Following is from a report in livemint.

… Bharat Biotech International Ltd, a producer of vaccines and biotherapeutics announced that the Orissa government has selected the company as the developer for its ‘Biotech-Pharma-IT Park’ project under public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.

The proposed industrial park is coming up on a 54.86 acre land located at Mouza-Andharua in Bhubaneswar.

BBIL will promote a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to undertake the integrated industrial park. The project is estimated to cost Rs100 crore and is slated to be complete in eight years, a press release issued here stated.

“Our task is to focus on rapid development of this park by developing core infrastructure and technology to enable establishment of new companies whereby new local entrepreneurs in the biotechnology field will be created,” BBIL Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said in the release.

About 10 acre land, within the park, is earmarked for development of biotechnology incubation centre, which will be funded by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, for the equipment or instrumentation.

A formal lease-cum-development agreement will be signed between the SPV and Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).

The Orissa government and IDCO, in principle, have agreed to provide all the external infrastructure facilities like power supply, water supply among others, the release added.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Tathya.in.

New York based NGTech, a versatile group of IT professionals who offer wide array of consulting services, promoted by Dr.Namita Deo, Dr.Ramachandra Deo and Ms.Mymoona Shereen will invest in IT and Biotechnology sector.

NGTI Private Limited will install facilities like IT Development and Outsourcing Project Services, chemical & Biotech Research & Development, Medicianal Green House, Bioinformatics, IT& Biotech Training and Medical Research Centre, said sources.

According to the application presented to the Government of Orissa, the group will fund major part of the project from own sources.

While promoter’s contribution will be Rs.948 crore, loan from financial institutions will be Rs.240 crore and the company expects Rs.12 crore as subsidy from the Government.

NGTI has identified a patch of 100 acres of land at Deras, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

The group proposes to acquire land through IDCO for setting up the facilities.

There is huge potential for employment as these facilities will be requiring 25,000 man power.

Annually Rs.103 crore of revenue will be generated on account of VAT, other taxes and duties assuming cent per cent capacity utilization, said the sources.

Following is from Samaja.

Their web site is http://www.ngtechinc.com/. Following is from Samaja.

Odisha.in reports that IOC will set up a Biodiesel refinery in Orissa. Following is an excerpt from an Odisha.in  news item on this.

The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Thursday announced to set up a Bio-Diesel Oil Refinery in Orissa.

This was announced by B.B.Choudhury, chief of IOC, Eastern Zone at the Banker’s Committee meeting on rising of energy plantation and Bio-Diesel production being organised jointly by OREDA and Science and Technology Department, Orissa.

Choudhury said that IOC had plans to support all necessary infrastructures for sustainable and qualitative production of Bio-Diesel.

He said that IOC would set up the proposed Bio-fuel processing unit in a centrally located area and urged the state government to help supply high yielding non-edible Jatropha or Karanja seeds of at least 2 lakh Metric tones annually to make the unit viable.

IOC has decided to blend Petrol and Diesel with ethanol content in rational level ,he said .presiding over the meeting Orissa Chief Secretary, Ajit Tripathy announced that a Bio-Diesel Park would be set up at Deras , in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

First an IT park, followed by a bio-tech one and now Orissa is set for a bio-diesel space.

Chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy in the capital city today flagged of the park project, which would boast of a research laboratory, as well as a plantation area with jatropha, karanja and castor plants — all of which produce oil.

… the chief secretary added that the construction work has been given to the Majhighariani Institute of Technology and Science Group, which has already started jatropha curcas plantation on 50,000 hectare in 10 Orissa districts.

“The group, in association with the government and banks, would set up the park. A minimum 100 acre is required and we have identified the land near Deras agricultural farm on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar,” said Balkrishna Panda, the chairman of the group.

He added that 10-odd acre would be required for the plantation alone. Besides, the park will be used for research, publicity and training of farmers on bio-diesel. In addition to it, the park would have one-stop solutions for fertiliser, spice and tissue culture issues, besides units of bio-diesel production plants

“It will be on public-private partnership (PPP) mode and will provide employment to 10 million in the state directly or indirectly,” said Panda.

Several banks, including Andhra Bank, Bank of Baroda, UCO bank and the Orissa State Cooperative Bank, have shown interest in the project. Indian Oil has also agreed to a marketing tie-up.

Jatropa is not a new concept for Orissa farmers. It often is planted on boundaries to protect the crop from stray cattle. But, its plantation on commercial basis in unproductive land is a new one.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.

Under the PPT mode, the State Government has decided to build a Capital Region Ring Road. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Empowered Committee on Infrastructure (ECI) chaired by the Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy on Tuesday.

The proposed ring road will constructed with an aim to lessen pressure on the vehicular traffic movement on Bhubaneswar-Cuttack road. The road will start from Khurda and pass through Bhubaneswar via bypass and touch Nirgundi near Cuttack. The survey work for the project will commence soon.

Keeping the growing industrialisation in view, another road under PPT will be built connecting directly Bhubaneswar to Paradip. It will also help the smooth movement of traffic from Capital to Port City. ILFS will do the necessary survey work.

In order to strengthen the PPT mode, Government has constituted seven cells in different departments like Fisheries and Animal Development, Energy, Panchayat Raj and Information and Technology.

The committee approved five proposals under PPT. In a bid to develop the infrastructure of Berhampur city, Government has decided to build an integrated commercial and residential complex under the banner Gajapati Plaza. Rs 10 crore will be spent to build this project. Government will provide five acre of land for this purpose. All the modern amenities including swimming poll facilities will also be available in the complex. The project work would be entrusted to Forum Project Private Limited. Work on the project would commence in the next 15 days. The ECI also gave its nod to set up a bio-tech farm in an area of 64.86 acres of land near Andharua on the outskirt of Bhubaneswar city. A bio-tech incubation centre will be set up in another 10 acres of land in Andharua also. Five major state-of-the-art infrastructure in the form of modular laboratories, loaded wet laboratories, common equipment facilities and amenities, pilot plant facilities and training centre would be provided in the park.

These facilities in the Biotechnology Research Platform will help to multiply the number of users on free-for -use basis. Selected private developers will be allowed to operate, manage, maintain and market the park in Bio-Tech Pharma and Bio-Informatics -IT related issues.

Following are excerpts from a New Indian Express report.

Work on the Genetech City, the proposed bio-technology park at Andharua, on the outskirts of the city, will start from December if things go as per schedule.

The bio-technology park will be developed in PPP mode through competitive bidding route and the Science and Technology Department has invited tenders from private firms for development of the park on 54 acres provided by the State Government.

Eight developers – Akruti Nirman Limited, Mumbai, Eldeco Infrastructure and Properties Limited, New Delhi, Bharat Biotech Infrastructure, Hyderabad, TCG Urban Infrastructure and Holding Ltd, Mumbai, Ambience Developers and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar Entertainment World Developers, Indore, Ramkey Infrastructure Ltd, Hyderabad and Unitech Limited, Kolkata have bided for the project.

The bidders have been asked to make their presentation to the Government on the project and bid selection will be completed by the end of this month, official sources said.

While 25 acres of the Genetech City will be used as bio-technology and pharmaceutical corridor, an information technology centre will be developed on another 15 acres. A bio-tech incubator centre will be developed on an area of 10 acres, sources said. IDCO has been entrusted with the job of infrastructure development of the park.

Telegraph reports the information on this given by the Science and Technology minister in the assembly. Following are some excerpts:

… Science and technology minister Sanjeev Sahoo today told the Assembly that the proposed Biotech-Pharma-IT park would be developed in an area of approximately 260 acre in two phases on a public-private partnership mode.

In the first phase, a park would be constructed over 63acre of land in Andharua Mouza on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The Biotech park at Andharua will have a BT corridor, an IT corridor and a commercial infrastructure. A biotech incubator would be set up there over 10 acre, he added.

Sahoo said the companies, which have expressed their interest for participating in the global bid process, are Akruti Nirman Ltd, Ambience Developers and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Bhubaneswar Entertainment World Developers Pvt Ltd, Eldeco Infrastructure and Properties Ltd, Ramkay Infrastructure Ltd, TCG Urban Infrastructure Holding Ltd and Unitech Ltd.

The private partner would play the role of the lead developer and would be responsible of the plan, design, construct, finance, market and operate the proposed park.

Once a private partner is selected, a Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) company in the form of a Joint Venture between the private partner and the State government will be created for the development and maintenance of the Park, Sahoo said.

For the biotech park at Andharua, IDCO has been given Rs 2 crore for construction of wall, land development, digging of borewells and setting up transformers.

The state-of-the-art Biotech Pharma-IT park will have modular R&D labs, a biotech incubator, and administration support infrastructure. The Park will stimulate and manage the knowledge flow and create linkages between universities, R&D institutions, companies and markets.

(Thanks to Deba Nayak for the pointer to this report.)