The Indian Express   31.07.2012

Herbal garden in East Delhi on the anvil

The East Municipal Corporation has planned to create a herbal garden with 5,000 species of medicinal plants on a 20-acre plot in Mandawali.

“The corporation has identified a plot that can be developed into a herbal garden. It will add to the green cover of East Delhi. The medicinal plants will be used in preparing Ayurvedic, Unani and herbal medicines,” East municipality Commissioner Sajjan Singh Yadav said.

Officials said nature walks for students and residents would be organised in the garden, a first in East Delhi. People will also be able to purchase herbs at a subsidised rate.

The herbs and plants for the garden will be procured from the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society.

High-value plant species such as arjuna, amla, mahua, mehndi, neem, tamarind, jamun, baheda, harad and dhera would be grown in the garden.

“The East corporation has asked for 10,000 species of medicinal plants and herbs. After we inspected the plot, we realised that it can accommodate only 5,000. We have shortlisted some of the species,” S D Singh, the CEO of Delhi Parks and Gardens Society, said.