Finally, the ball seems to be rolling in the development of the Nano Park, with Bangalore moving one step closer to being the first city in the country to have a space entirely dedicated to industries and research pertaining to nanotechnology.
The project, which was first announced by eminent scientist CNR Rao in late 2010, was originally slated to be completed last year. However, despite the delay, MN Vidyashankar, principal secretary for IT, BT and S&T, says one can expect substantial project-related developments soon.
The government had released a tender notification inviting Expression of Interest (EOI) in December 5, 2011. “January 31 was the last day for EOIs to come in. So far we have got 16 EOIs, with some of them coming from the US and countries in Europe. Our technical team will shortlist EOIs by February 20,” Vidyashankar said.
According to those working on the project, the budget of the Nano Park will be `150 crore while Vidyashankar said it will be a ‘self-financed’ project. “There is no point in getting the Centre to fund the project. Why will we stop any company that wishes to pull in money for the park?” he questioned.
However, some sources close to Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) claim that the delay is partly due to a lack of technical knowledge in the field of nano-science. But Vidyashankar denies this. “We already have an able technical team in place that comprises scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and KSCST,” he said.
Vidyashankar also revealed that real estate companies
are among those who sent in EOIs.
“Some players from the real estate world have applied to be part of the project. Ultimately it will be the call of the technical team as to who gets to be part of the project,” he said. The location will be selected only after the modalities regarding the companies that will be part of the project are decided, he added.
