Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 18: As the decks have been cleared, the work on much talked about Biotech Park at Ghati in Kathua district, the first of its kind in the State will start by December this year.
According to official sources all the formalities in this regard are in place and the land transfer process has also been completed as The State Cabinet in its recent decision has issued directives to SIDCO to transfer the 80 kanals of land for the project at SIDCO Complex Ghati.
Sources said the Science and Technology Department of the State has also paid Rs 4.80 lakh as rent of the land to the SIDCO. However the lease deed has not been signed as yet because the Department has to complete certain formalities for the same which it is hopeful will be completed soon.
After overcoming the initial hiccups the Government has decided to register a society to run and manage the Biotech Park at Ghati. Soon after the formation of the Society it will take the possession of the land. The same is under process and formation of Society will also be completed soon, sources added.
The Society will be named as Industrial Biotechnology Park Society and it will be under administrative control of Science and Technology Department with Secretary Science and Technology to be its Chief Executive Officer till it becomes fully operational. After the park becomes functional a full fledged CEO will be appointed to it, sources said.
Sources said the Biotech Park Society will be a separate unit having its own staff headed by CEO. The decision regarding the appointment of staff etc will be taken by the governing body which will comprise of the concerned Ministry of Science and Technology, sources added.
Sources said the Indian Institute of Integrated Medicines, (IIIM) Jammu will be the knowledge partner of the society while Biotech Consortium India Ltd (BCIL) will be the consulting subsidiary and Department of Biotechnology Government of India will provide financial support for setting up of Biotech Park.
Sources said the Government has also decided to construct another Biotech Park at Handwara in Kashmir Valley and the land for the same will be identified soon. Out of Rs 52 crore project, Rs 30 crore are earmarked for Ghati Biotech Park at Kathua in Jammu region while Rs 22 crore for Biotech Park in Kashmir, sources said.
However the State has made a projection of Rs 116.88 crore before the Centre for the project and requested it that the amount be sanctioned at an earliest, sources said.
Sources said that the Department of Science and Technology after identifying land got the project report framed by Biotech Consortium India Ltd which is the subsidiary of Department of Biotechnology Government of India and the same report was submitted to DBT for funding as DBT is financing all the biotech parks in India.
The farmers in the State will be the main beneficiaries of the biotech park where they will be imparted training to grow aromatic and medicinal plants.
Establishment of the biotech parks both in Jammu and Kashmir Valley will revolutionize the lives of farmers in the State, sources said, adding the income per kanal of land will increase many fold with the cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants and farmers will get the remunerative prices from the extract of these plants.
By cultivating medicinal and aromatic plants the farmers can increase their revenue three to four times from same area of land. The improved varieties of these medicinal and aromatic plants will be provided from the Industrial Biotech park germ plasma bank.
The farmers interested in business of medicinal and aromatic plants will get the start up support in the Industrial Biotech Park. The most modern technologies will be provided to the farmers to produce innovative biotech products from the material brought from the fields.
Besides, the Industrial Biotech Park will help in establishing links of the farmers with probable customers who will directly purchase the finished or raw material from them. Moreover a tissue culture laboratory will be established in the Biotech Park where large scale plantlets desired by the farmers will be produced to help them to start their business.
It may be recalled that the foundation stone of the project was laid by Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh on September 14 in 2014 at Indian Institute of Integrated Medicines (IIIM) Jammu in presence of Vijay Raghwan, secretary DBT Government of India and Ram Vishwakarma Director IIIM. However the work on the Park despite hard efforts and keen interest taken by the Union Minister could not be taken up in hand due to some initial hiccups, sources said.
The main hitch was transfer of land to the Department of Science and Technology under whose administrative control the Biotech Park will function. However the Department after overcoming the initial hitches is now all set to inaugurate the park at Ghati Kathua by December this year as till that time the process for formation of Society will be completed.
This prestigious project is the initiative of Dr Jitendra Singh who soon after taking over as Union Minister announced two such parks for the State. However the initiative at Srinagar could not be taken up due to non availability of land at that time.
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