In the heart of Chinchwad, a ‘forest’ of 2,500 trees

It was once home to hundreds of chinch (tamarind) trees, and even derived its name from them. And in about six months, Chinchwad will be home to another ‘forest’, comprising about 2,500 indigenous plants and trees. Imaginatively named ‘Oxygen Park’, the garden and recreation centre may be completed by Diwali this year, said civic officials. Sprawled across a two-acre area in Chinchwad’s Laxmi Nagar, the project will be developed by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of the Union Ministry of Urban Development.