Kashmir University will develop the Mughal garden Naseem Bagh on the banks of Dal Lake into a chinar heritage park.

Located to the north of the main campus at Hazratbal, the garden is abundant with majestic trees (Platanus orientalis) commonly known as “Chinar”, a Persian word meaning “what a fire” owing to its flame coloured leaves.

“The proposal for developing the garden into Chinar heritage park was mooted sometime back and the same has been accepted by the authorities. Work on the heritage park would start soon,” varsity spokesman Shoukat Shafi told PTI.

The garden is spread over 25 hectares of land and has nearly 700 chinar trees. The historical garden remained neglected over a long period till it was temporarily used as the erstwhile Regional Engineering College (REC) campus for several years. Mr. Shafi said it would be the first chinar conservatory in the valley.