Torrent Group’s UNM Foundation inaugurates restored Sardar Baug in Ahmedabad under PRATITI initiative

Torrent Group’s philanthropic arm, UNM Foundation, on Sunday dedicated the newly restored Sardar Baug in Ahmedabad to the public. The project has been developed and is being managed under the Foundation’s PRATITI initiative.

Amit Shah, Member of Parliament for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha and Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Government of India, inaugurated the restored garden.

The inauguration was attended by Rushikesh Patel, Cabinet Minister, Government of Gujarat; Pratibha Jain, Mayor of Ahmedabad; Sudhir Mehta, Chairman Emeritus, Torrent Group; Jinal Mehta, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Torrent Power; Hasmukh Patel, Member of Parliament; Members of the Legislative Assembly; Banchhanidhi Pani, Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; and other dignitaries.

Located within the erstwhile 15th-century royal citadel, the restored Sardar Baug is the 11th public garden in Ahmedabad under UNM Foundation’s PRATITI initiative. The garden holds historical importance as several Sabhas involving freedom fighters were held there in the pre-independence period. Once known for fruit orchards, flowering plants, and water courts, it had deteriorated over decades before being restored by PRATITI.

Spread over 26,010 square metres, Sardar Baug is located opposite the old Rupali Cinema at Lal Darwaja in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Central Zone.

The garden has been restored with consideration for cultural heritage and public use.

Salient features include:

• Large entrance gate with a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

• A 1.5 km long Chharu pathway for walking and jogging, made of brick-based material for water percolation.

• An open gym with weather-resistant equipment.

• Children’s play area with play structures.

• An open-air, oval-shaped amphitheatre with 150 seats for cultural performances.

• Eight water bodies with seating areas.

• Recharge well for rainwater harvesting and groundwater conservation.

• Ventilated, hygienic washrooms with wheelchair access and facilities for the physically challenged, along with drinking water stations.

• A Rose Garden, recognising Ahmedabad’s heritage of Rose Ittar production.

• Conservation of 195 existing trees and plantation of more than 630 new trees from 65 native species.

• Plantation of over 75,000 shrubs, bamboo, and grasses from 190 species to support biodiversity.

UNM Foundation expressed gratitude to the Government of Gujarat and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for their support in enhancing the city’s green spaces.

Through the PRATITI initiative, UNM Foundation has redeveloped and maintains 11 public parks across Ahmedabad, including Sardar Baug, covering a total area of 131,414 square metres.

Additionally, five more gardens with a combined area of 61,000 square metres are under development in the city.

The Foundation also maintains about 50 hectares (approximately 5 lakh square metres) of green spaces across 13 public gardens and two lakes in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, and Daman. These spaces record an annual footfall of approximately 58 lakh people.

Plans are underway to extend the PRATITI initiative to Maharashtra.