3700 trees, shrubs, nearly 100 years old, to stay in the new Gandhi Ashram

The authorities have hired Hyderabad-based Heartfulness Institute to conserve the existing trees and to add more trees, which can complement the serene and cool ambience of the Ashram.

A census of the trees on the 322-acre precinct campus was completed last week. (File Photo)

As a part of the Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development project, the state authorities have devised a special plan for the conservation of around 3,700 trees and shrubs on the new campus. Many of these are considered to be dating back to Mahatma Gandhi’s time, when he lived here almost 100 years back

A recent census on the 322-acre precinct campus has pegged the total number of trees and shrubs at 3,700, said officials. The state authorities have hired a Hyderabad-based group, Heartfulness Institute, to conserve the existing trees and to add more trees which can complement the serene and cool ambience of the Gandhi ashram.

An official, connected with the designing and planning of the project, said, “A census of the trees on the precinct was completed just last week. It has found around 3,694 trees and shrubs of 64 species on the campus to be developed. Around 2,000 of them are big trees having trunks of more than 400 mm and we consider them as legacy trees of Gandhi Ashram. Many of them date back to the time of Mahatma Gandhi.”

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Gandhi and Kasturba lived at this ashram from 1917 to 1930, when he set out for the Dandi march on March 12.

Some of the trees existing in the area include arduso (malabar nut), tamarind, frangipani, gundo (Indian cherry), Indian beech, neem, banyan, Madras thorn, casuarina, sacred fig, royal palm, gulmahor, chiku, and mango among others. “As a policy, no tree is going to be cut during the redevelopment project. And those which are absolutely required to be shifted will be transplanted on the campus somewhere else. The number of such trees would not be beyond 120,” added the official.

Apart from the existing trees on the to-be developed campus, another important component of the master plan is going to be the new trees to be planted to complement the serene and cool ambience of Gandhi Ashram, the official added. “For this, there will be a buffer of dense trees on the outer periphery of the precinct which will separate the campus from the city. On this periphery, tropical and indigenous trees will be planted. This dense green buffer will complement the ashram’s serene and cool ambience,” the official said.

A rainwater harvesting pond measuring around 1,200-1,500 square metre is also part of this plan.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to unveil the master plan of the project on Tuesday. It is likely to include 55 acres of the memorial and 322 acres of the precinct. The existing memorial has shrunk to five acres. The master plan is believed to be prepared after considering a concept note submitted to the state authorities by Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT).

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