Bhubaneswar: ‘Expedite building of Biotech Park near city’, says CS Suresh Chandra Mohapatra

BHUBANESWAR: Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra on Thursday directed the officials concerned to expedite the construction of the Odisha Biotech Park at Andharua near the city to ensure production by June next year.
The progress of the park was reviewed by Mohaptra at the state-level biotech implementation committee meeting chaired by him. During the meeting, it came to light that the state has already granted the required statutory clearances and permissions for setting up the unit, an official statement said.
Officials said the biotech park, which is being set up through the Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), will produce around 10 types of advanced vaccines, including Covaxin. Though the government had allotted 30 acres at Andharua to the BBIL almost a decade ago for setting up the park, the project had remained a non-starter for years.
In November, the government had sped up the process of the development of the unit when the then chief secretary, Asit Tripathy, had held a meeting with the BBIL CMD, Krishna Ella.
Once complete, the unit would develop vaccines for rotavirus diarrohea, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, pandemic influenza and drug resistant staphylococcus aureus, the officials said. A state-of-the-art biotech incubation centre and common facilities have also been planned to be built in the park.