DW BUREAU / cHANDIGARH Seeking the establishment of Pharmaceutical Park in Bathinda, Punjab Finance Minister Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal on Thursday met Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers. He also urged the minister to depute a team for visiting the site. Earlier, in July this year, the Finance Minister had met both DV Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and Mansukh Mandaviya, presenting before them Punjab's case for establishment of the Pharmaceutical Park. The Finance Minister reiterated the importance of Bathinda being designated as one of the three nationally approved Pharmaceutical Parks in the country. The pharmaceutical park will greatly benefit from the existence of the Bathinda Oil Refinery, with both of them being mutually advantageous as they can capitalize on sharing of raw materials and byproducts. Bathinda is an ideal location in North India, and this park could cater to the entire region including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh. Bathinda will make available 1300 acres of land that has been vacated by the Bathinda Thermal Plant, said Manpreet Singh Badal, adding that Bathinda has also a fully functional Railway Junction that is an "A category" station which can provide infrastructure and siding for supply of raw materials and carriage facilities for finished products. The presence of such facilities will make it easier for pharma companies to conduct their business efficiently, the Finance Minister said. The presence of USFDA-approved pharmaceutical companies like Sun Pharma, Centrient, and IOL Chemicals, and the existence of an excellence Research and Development ecosystem in the form of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Institute of Microbial Research (IMTECH), Institute of Nano Technology (INST), Mohali, and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bathinda, can synergize with the proposed Bathinda Pharma park. The Punjab Finance Minister informed the Union Minister that the erstwhile Bathinda thermal plant was gifted to Punjab to mark 500 years of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Since the entire nation is currently celebrating 550 years of the Guru Nanak Dev Ji, it would be befitting if we could establish a Pharmaceutical Park to commemorate it. This would be a humble tribute to the 550 Years of birth celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the Finance Minister added. (editor@dailyworld.in)