Maharashtra may soon get its own fossil park with replicas of dinosaurs and exhibits of their bones and plant fossils dating back to the pre-historic period.
Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra is set to become a first-of-its-kind tourism destination by getting the country’s first fossil park. As of now, the project is still at initial stage as Maharashtra’s Directorate of Archaeology and Museums is still working to gather all the required data and information from all the concerned departments like Geological Survey of India (GSI).
“The proposed Wadadham fossil park is located in Sironcha Taluka which is at the southern tip of the Gadchiroli district. The present proposed area for the fossil park represents upper Gondwana Kota formations belonging to early Jurassic period and the scientific investigations have revealed that present area was near sea,” said Tushar Chavan, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Sironcha, Gadchiroli circle.
Yatbon WI, Chief Conservator of Forests, Gadchiroli, said the centre, which is located around 400km from Nagpur, in the red corridor, would educate people on fossils and natural history.
“The area is being developed as a fossil park as dinosaur bones, plant and fish fossils have been recovered. The work is expected to be completed by March-end. We have gone in for in-situ conservation of fossils after identifying and cleaning them,” said Tushar Chavan.
The forest department of the state is in touch with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), GSI, Maharashtra Government, GSI, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, and other departments to give a shape to this project. A senior official from the state’s Directorate of Archaeology and Museums informed that efforts are being taken to keep original objects as a lot of fossils are found in Sironcha Forest Division in Gadchiroli district. It is expected that once this project becomes operational, it will help boost tourism in this region, which will in turn help the locals improve their living condition.
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