STP’s hopes for business incubator project rekindles

The STP had demanded five acres of land from the UoP. But the varsity’s management council opposed it. The STP authorities then started looking for an alternate site in Bhosari and Hinjewadi for the project,but it yielded little result.

On Friday,Devendra Fadnavis,president of the state unit of the BJP and Nagpur MLA,move a calling attention motion in the Assembly seeking to know the status of the project. Tope replied that a decision would be taken after holding a joint meeting of UoP and STP authorities before August 10.

STP Director Dr Rajendra Jagdale expressed hope that the deadlock over land would be solved soon. He also stressed the need for the project to come up on UoP campus.

“The whole purpose of the project would be defeated if it gets displaced from the university campus. The Department of Biotechnology,while awarding us the project,had mandated that it should be linked with academic and research institutes. This can happen only if the project comes up in the university campus,” Jagdale told the Newsline. Meanwhile,UoP Vice-Chancellor Dr Wasudeo Gade said he would share his stand on the project during the meeting proposed by Tope.

The project aims to promote biotechnology research in agriculture,human and animal health,environment and diagnostics and encourage biotech startup firms.