Shimla: The upcoming Bulk Drug Park at Una has obtained Environmental Clearance (EC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India, paving the way for implementing the large project. This drug park is proposed to become a hub for large scale manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Key Starting Materials (KSMs) for the pharmaceutical industry, something that the country has been importing to meet the industry needs.
Commenting on the development, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “The Bulk Drug Park will strengthen Himachal Pradesh’s position as a leading hub of pharmaceutical manufacturing in India and generate employment opportunities for our youth.”
The technical assessments for obtaining environmental clearance on ecology, drainage, seismic vulnerability and other risk factors was done by National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur and was ratified by the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee.
With an environmental impact assessment (EIA) being a critical aspect for grounding the project, the first appraisal was done in November, 2023, terms of reference were approved in August 2024, a public hearing was conducted in November, 2024 and the approval was accorded on 2 September, 2025.
Giving details of the project Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan stated “The Environmental Clearance has paved the way for fast-tracking the next stages of development. This park will play a pivotal role in driving self-reliance in the pharma sector.”
The environmental safeguards mandated include keeping a minimum green cover of 33 percent, industrial development be limited to 65 to 70 percent of the project area, a minimum of 10 percent of power be that from solar energy, a sustainable balance be maintained between surface and ground water, there be buffer zones in place around natural drainage systems like streams and nallahs, and there be Zero Liquifd Discharge facilities in place in the park.
Regular compliance reports need to be filed to ensure that the environment safeguards are met with.
The project outlay involves an investment of Rs 2071 crore of which Rs 996.45 crore is a grant in aid from the union government. The state government is to invest Rs 1074.55 crore for setting up the drug park and expects to attract investments of about Rs 8000 to 10000 crores. The Himachal government has set up Himachal Pradesh Bulk Drug Park Infrastructure Ltd (HPBDPIL) to oversee implementation of the project.
Director of Industries, Dr. Yunus said, “The industries department is committed to executing the project in a time-bound manner and will ensure all compliances including the environmental guidelines.
The federal ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers had initiated a Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks in March 2020, Himachal’s industry department in accordance with the scheme prepared a detailed project report that was approved in October 2022.
