“The impact of industrial pollution on the lives of people in the region is well documented. These units have played havoc with public health. The groundwater in the region remains highly polluted while the incidence of pollution-related diseases including asthma and bronchitis is high in nearby villages,” said S Ramakrishna, an activist with local NGO “Forum for Better Hyderabad.”
The Industries Minister counters this argument, saying the industrial units that had come up in the late 1970s and 19080s did not invest in anti-pollution technologies whereas the proposed Pharma City is a completely pollution-free initiative that will set new international benchmarks.
“This will be a first-of-its-kind project featuring state-of-the-art infrastructure, common facilities including Zero Liquid Discharge-based Common Effluent Treatment Plant, an integrated solid waste management facility, district heating and cooling systems, logistic parks, a Global Pharma University, regulatory facilitation cells, common drug development and testing laboratories, and start-up and SME hub,” KTR said, Click here
The ultimate objective of the pharma city, he claimed, was to make Hyderabad the preferred global pharma destination and to bring down the prices of medicines to make them affordable to the poor.
In December last year, the Centre had granted National Investment Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) status to the project. The final approval was given based on the techno-economic feasibility study and development plan submitted by the state government.
A Special Purpose Vehicle — Hyderabad Pharma City Ltd — has been set up to implement the project.
