Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Pharma City initiated by the Telangana government holds the potential to turn into a world-class life sciences center. Pharma City would cater to everything related to pharma-from research to manufacturing and ancillary services.
To realize this vision, the government, in addition to the disbursal of land, could create an economic master plan to allocate and divide the available land into industrial zones, residential areas, social amenities, and physical infrastructure, and realize the phased monetization of real and commercial estates.
A phased development plan would be taken up in the entire life sciences spectra such as bulk drugs manufacturing units, formulation manufacturing units, generics and innovator R&D hubs, clinical trials and research destinations, big data, analytics and bio-informatics hubs, dedicated biotech and med-tech clusters, and centers for BPOs and support staff.
To attract greenfield investments, it will seek to create a plug-and-play environment. Additionally, common supporting infrastructure such as warehousing spaces, cold storage facilities, logistics hubs, common labs, and high-end testing equipment would have to be established. Specific financial incentives, including tax breaks and low-cost capital, could be offered to encourage newcomers. Jurisdictional privileges could help in boosting the confidence of investors.
Public-private partnerships
Forming fruitful public-private partnerships could facilitate the funding needed for the project, while helping in a more equitable allocation of risk. Further, this could also help in increasing the efficiency of project management and execution and discovering new sources of funding.
Environment-friendly practices
To create a future-ready ecosystem, the government could explore setting parity with globally best emission standards for the Pharma City. This could include investing in infrastructure and technologies that support best-in-class and pro-environment manufacturing practices such as zero discharge facilities to control expelled fluid waste, solid waste recycling and upcycling facilities, and gaseous emission control techniques.
Live-work-play ecosystem
To boost the attractiveness of the Pharma City as a leading pharma hub, the liveability quotient of the region has to be high. This in turn merits detailed planning to include, among others, adequate lifestyle-focused components. Further, the report says, the city’s civic and social infrastructure needs categorical planning, with a focus on open and green spaces, greater trip sharing in public transport, and an emphasis on healthcare, education, and research facilities.
