Ahmedabad: In a green initiative under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, a new Oxygen Park named ‘Sindur Van’ will soon take shape in the Chandlodia Ward of Ahmedabad’s Northwest Zone. The park will be developed on a 5,000 sq. m. open plot near Jagatpur Bridge, adjacent to Western Prize Flats (TP-35, FP-43/1) under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency and Ghatlodia Assembly segment.

The Samast Vaishnav Vanik Parivar (SVVP) will develop the park entirely at its own cost and will also maintain it for the next five years.

The park will feature 12,000 trees, including 551 Sindur (Bixa Orellana) trees, from which the name ‘Sindur Van’ is derived. The remaining plantation will include a diverse mix of indigenous species planted using the Miyawaki technique, known for promoting dense and fast-growing forests in urban areas.

About the Sindur Tree

The Sindur tree, scientifically known as Bixa Orellana, is a medium-sized plant native to South and Southeast Asia. Its fruit contains seeds covered in a naturally occurring red powder, natural sindur, which is traditionally used on the forehead and as a natural food coloring.

Commercial and Medicinal Uses

The Sindur tree has multiple commercial applications. The pigment is used in lipstick, nail polish, hair dyes, red ink, paint, and even soap manufacturing. Medically, extracts from the tree are believed to help with digestion, skin health, and inflammation, and are also used in traditional treatments for skin infections and other ailments.

With this initiative, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation aims to enhance the city’s green cover while also promoting awareness about the environmental and medicinal importance of native plant species. DeshGujarat