Bengal to build bigger biotech park at Kharagpur

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government is thinking big about biotechnology. The state government has revised its plans to set-up a biotech park at Kharagpur in association with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) — the facility is now going to be built over 1200 acres against previous plans of 100 acres.

IIT-KGP has just submitted its project report to West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Newer plans also include an advanced-level IT unit (where bio-informatics and chip-level projects would be implemented) and a nano technology unit.

“The plans are now to set-up the biotech park over 1200 acres, which will also have an advanced level IT unit and a township with related social infrastructure.

The land has been identified and the acquisition process will start soon,” Surjyakanta Mishra, West Bengal government’s health and biotechnology minister, told newspersons on the sidelines of a workshop on biotechnology.