Three years on, pharma park still distant dream for Karnal

Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, November 17

Three-and-a-half years after a pharma park was announced for Karnal, the project seems to be distant dream as even the land for it is yet to be finalised. The land was to be purchased by the Karnal Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KPMA) and the project was to be developed by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HSIIDC).

The project was announced by former Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers HN Ananth Kumar in the presence of the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on May 16, 2017, in Murthal, with an aim to make Haryana a pharma hub. It was to be constructed on 100 acres with an estimated cost of Rs 1,600 crore to generate around Rs 3,000 crore investment and provide employment to thousands of people. Later, the Haryana Government formulated the Haryana Pharmaceutical Policy, 2019, which included the project.

As per the association, they have earmarked four places but due to the exorbitant rates of the land, the deal could not be finalised. The association demanded that the government allot the plots to manufacturers after purchasing the land and developing the pharma park.

“We have earmarked four places — one each in Shamgarh, Taraori, Gharaunda and Kachwa — but the rates of the land are very high, which is not viable to attract pharma industrialists from other states to invest here,” said RL Sharma, president, KPMA.

Raman Gupta, general secretary of the KPMA, said “A land piece of HSIIDC is lying vacant in Sector-37 and we demand that the government provide this land to pharma industrialists at reasonable rates. Besides, the government can allot the land to industrialists at Rs 5,000 per yard to attract investors in this sector.”

There are 26 small and big pharma units in the district, making Karnal a major district for the industry, he maintained. “The establishment of the pharma park will boost the industry and will help in making Haryana a pharma hub,” he added.

Meanwhile, Narender Kumar Ahooja, state drug controller, said establishing the pharma park in Karnal was a dream project of the state government.

“Due to unpleasant relations with China on the border, along with the Covid-induced lockdown, the pharma industry had to face the shortage of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), following which the Union Government decided to make pharma industry of the country self-reliant in the manufacturing of APIs. It had invited applications from all states. Haryana has applied for a medical device park in Karnal and an API park at Hisar. The pharma park will be developed as per the policy of the Union Government,” he added.