Guwahati, Jan. 5: The Assam government today unveiled the masterplan of the new facility of the Guwahati Biotech Park during the Assam Biotech Conclave here today.

A 62- bigha land at Amingaon, about 17km from Guwahati, has been allocated to set up the biotech park as mentioned in the State Biotechnology Policy - the draft of which was released today.

The conclave, a two-day meet organised by Guwahati Biotech Park in association with Finer, biotech firms and organisations to discuss the limitations and scopes here in Assam, was inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and science and technology minister Keshab Mahanta here today.

The policy has a vision to utilise biotechnology for the socio-economic growth of Assam.?

"The foundation stone for the facility will be laid within next month. The park will have business zones, technological incubation centres and business enterprise centres," Bula Choudhury, senior scientist of Guwahati Biotech Park, told The Telegraph today.

Mahanta announced that a business management department would be soon opened in the park.

"This will help establish a link between the market and academicians and help the students to find new opportunities in the field," he said.

The park is currently functioning from the IIT Guwahati campus. "We have a fully functional technological incubation centre on the IIT campus. This will be shifted to the new facility along with other technological upgrade," Choudhury said.

She said the facilities will be given to the researchers and entrepreneurs on lease.

"The lessee will have access to all the infrastructure inside the park. Our thrust areas are agriculture, animal, micro, sericulture, petroleum, medical and environmental biotechnology along with food processing," Choudhury said.

A source in the ministry of science and technology department said the construction of the park will be done in two phases.

"In the first phase, design, planning and layout will be done. An amount of Rs 34.78 crore has been allocated for that. After that, the second phase will start during which construction of the park will be done. That money has not been allocated yet," the source said.

"Science and technological innovations must be practical and should come to the aid of all sections of society so that there can be tangible change in the lives of the people," Sonowal said at the inauguration.