Expressions of interest (EOI) from private players have been invited for India?s first agri-food cluster, part of the 381-acre Knowledge City in Sector 81, Mohali. The Union Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Punjab government have jointly invited EOIs and April 14 was the last date for submission. The park will be developed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis through a long-term lease.
The Punjab government is supposed to transfer the proposed land to the selected company, which will thereafter set up the facility.
Dr Rajesh Kapur, advisor, DBT-GOI, who is handling the project refused to divulge the details of companies that have applied for the project. The selection process is expected to take one month.?
Coming up on public-private partnership (PPP) mode, the cluster will house an agri-food biotech park, agriculture and food start-up companies. It will also have a national agri-food biotechnology institute (NABI), a bio-processing unit (BPU) and an incubator. The union cabinet has approved the setting up of the NABI and BPU at a cost of Rs 380 crore.
According to information obtained from Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, NABI will get operational this year.
It will focus on agriculture and agri-processing for value addition using biotechnological innovations and will be set up on 35 acres of land. The institute will also be involved in training human resource in food science and technology and nutritional science.
The Punjab government has allocated 80 acres of land for the biotechnology park, which would be set up on a PPP mode.
Ernst & Young has done the feasibility study for the park. The state government has authorised the DBT to start the process for identifying private sponsors through a bidding process for the development of the park.
The park would provide anchor tenant facility to large and medium scale companies for high-end research and development projects. It will provide built-to-suit sites for small-scale industry for research and development and processing, and will have facilities for research and development by start-up firms.
There will be a service arcade that would provide common facilities and utilities to the industry and will have a Special Economic Zone in about 25 acre area.
It may be mentioned here that Punjab Biotechnology Incubator (PBTI) has been jointly set up by the Punjab government and the Government of India to serve the agri-food biotechnology cluster.
PBTI has setup a state-of-the-art quality testing and certification facility as one of its service facilities in the transit premises at Mohali. The facility is already serving agri-based sectors including dairy, fruits and vegetables, cereals, honey, malt and animal feeds.
The Cabinet has also approved setting up of an Institute of Nano Science and Technology in the Knowledge City, at a cost of Rs 142 crore. The institute will focus on basic research, human resource development, transfer of discoveries and intellectual knowledge to industry partners for rapid application and commercialisation of technology.
The Knowledge City is the first state-of-the-art institutional cluster being set up in Punjab with an estimated investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
The city will also have an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research including a Nano-technology institute spreading over 125 acres and will accommodate an Indian School of Business on 70 acres.
The first academic session at the ISB campus in Mohali is expected to commence in 2012.
