Pharma City: Farmers demand compensation as per 2013 GO

Hyderabad: TAPCI seeks exclusive cluster for MSMEs Farmers in mandals around the city outskirts are raising their voice against the delay or non-payment of compensation for the land being acquired by the Telangana government. Several farmers in Kadtal, Yacharam, Kundukuru, etc., are expressing concerns over the way land acquisition is taken up while demanding the implementation of 2013 GO for compensation.

The TRS government is in the process of acquiring over 19,000 acres for the proposed Pharma City and so far have mobilised around 9,000 acres. To make it eligible for the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) status, 12,000 acres of land is required. According to sources, the state government has acquired assigned land from farmers in Nanak Nagar, Tadiparti, Medipalli, Kurmidda villages. Now, farmers in these villages have become helpless as their livelihood are taken away from them in the form of land acquisition.

Some farmers expressed concern over non-payment of compensation, some voice ire over partial payment, while majority demand for implementation of 2013 GO for compensation.

On the other side, considering the huge potential in the pharma and chemical sectors, Telangana Association of Pharma and Chemical Industries (TAPCI) bring the need of creating an MSME cluster within the Pharma City.

“We request the Telangana government to allocate 2,000 acres for MSME cluster in Pharma City. We also put forward other option of developing a separate cluster at Choutappal for MSMEs engaged in bulk drugs, pharma, chemicals and allied industries. The MSMEs can’t bear the high cost of effluent treatment. Hence, the state government should develop the cluster with all the infrastructure, including effluent treatment facility,” NV Narender, general secretary, TAPCI, told News Meter.

It’s estimated that the $250-bn global drug market will be off-patented during the 2018-24 period and this will open up the enormous business potential for Telangana drug companies to boost their exports thus adding value to the state economy. Considering this, the state government should encourage new molecule development.

According to Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), the top ten sectors are pharma, chemicals, organic chemicals, granite and natural stones, electric machinery and equipment, buffalo meat, gold and jewellery, industrial machinary for diary account for 72 per cent of the total exports from Telangana.

The Telangana government has set a target of doubling exports in the next five years from the $7.8 billion achieved in 2018-19 fiscal. Telangana state, since its formation in June 2014, successfully enhanced its export performance with 10 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth as total exports turnover reached to $7.38 billion. At this juncture, the pharma industry hereby requests the state government to resolve the several problems being faced by this sector, which plays a significant role in export performance of the state as more than half of the exports worth $4.2 billion were from the organic, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Considering the huge potential in the pharma and chemical sectors, Telangana Association of Pharma and Chemical Industries (TAPCI) bring the need of creating an MSME cluster within Pharma City.

Bottlenecks for the pharma industry

* Lack of common effluent treatment facility

* Need to reform pollution control board norms

* Further liberalization of Boiler Inspectorate, Inspector of Factories and Electricity, etc.

* High cost of effluent treatment

* High logistics cost

* Lack of credit facility

Cluster benefits

* About 300 units will come up in a cluster

* Each unit will invest Rs 5-50 crore

* Employment potential for 25,000 direct & 30,000 indirect jobs

* Will help government achieve its export target