Controversies notwithstanding, the AP MedTech Zone, popularly known as AMTZ, is going ahead with construction for the capital-intensive facilities required for medical devices manufacturing unit with an aim to reduce healthcare cost by at least 40%.
The AMTZ, an initiative of the State government to develop a comprehensive ecosystem at Nadupuru on the city outskirts over 270 acres, is taking up construction in five phases with an investment of over ₹1,000 crore. “The AMTZ has seen a huge response from the industry and by far is the single largest project to have commitment from 50 companies,” an official of the AMTZ told The Hindu .
The tender for construction advertised earlier was cancelled as the winning bidder had failed to furnish escrow account as required under the tender guidelines. The current tender is onlyfor the first phase with an estimate of around ₹350 crore to ₹400 crore. In the next four phases each costing nearly ₹150 to ₹200 crore would be notified in parts as construction work progresses, the official pointed out. “The cost of construction of the manufacturing units shall be paid by manufacturers. The tender has been divided into parts for speedy implementation of the project since financial support from the Government of India has already been received. Tender for AMTZ has not been awarded to any bidder and there is no association of VANPIC in this project in any manner,” the official clarified.
Professional approach
“The AMTZ team has taken contractual consultants, some of whom were removed due to poor performance and unethical behaviour. The current AMTZ team has all biomedical, civil engineers, radiation scientists, nano technologists, mechanical and electronics engineers and bio-material specialists, he said. The AMTZ has also contracted project management consultancy contract to a professional firm which as per the contracts has deputed engineers who are experts in structural designs, water work and infrastructure creation.He said despite achieving the best results and no expenditure, the AMTZ had been the target of undue criticism and assumptions made by those who did not wish the industry to grow in the State.
The AMTZ officials say the park will host the largest medical devices manufacturing cluster in the country to immensely benefit the manufactures, patients and country in achieving low-cost quality healthcare in 11 months.
