Govt to issue tender for Kharagpur biotech park

The government is planning to issue a tender for the Kharagpur biotech park inviting expression of interest (EoI) from developers.

"We will soon issue a tender inviting bids from developers for the Kharagpur biotechnology park," West Bengal Commerce & Industry Principal Secretary Sabyasachi Sen said here today.

In September 2005, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur had entered into a memorandum of association (MoU) to develop the park and attract investment in the knowledge-based sector.

The proposed park would come up on 100 acres of land, owned by WBIDC, and it was earlier decided that both WBIDC and IIT Kharagpur would jointly approach the Ministry of Defence for more land.

The cost of developing the project would be around Rs 100 crore.

Sen, however, declined to comment on the amount of investment the proposed park would attract, saying, "It is hard to say".

WBIDC is responsible for facilitating the receipt of fiscal benefits and concessions from the state and the central governments.

Apart from focusing on multiple biotechnology areas like, biometrics, healthcare devices and industrial enzymes, the park would also provide training and technical advice and constitute a technical committee to oversee research and development facilities.