Friday, June 10, 2011

Balasinor park, Ahemdabad, Gujarat, Inda to get Rs. 60 million

A sum of Rs. 60 million has been sanctioned by the Gujarat state government to upgrade the Balasinor Dinosaur Fossil Park in Raioli.

The #GujaratstateHealthandTourism minister Jay Narayan Vyas, in reply to a question of Balasinor MLA, Mansinh Chauhan, said that the Balasinor #DinosaurFossilPark situated at Raioli, about 86 km from #Ahmedabad is the third biggest site in the world. Vyas said that the government’s grant was to upgrade infrastructure facilities there. Vyas said apart from setting up information and interpretation centers, parking and cafeteria facilities are also being provided.

The dinosaur #fossils were first discovered in 1981 by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). A year later approximately 1,000 dinosaur eggs were discovered making it one of the biggest hatcheries in the world.

The park is also home to one of the largest clutch of dinosaur hatcheries in the world.

Vyas said it is widely believed that this place used to be a part of the Shiva crater that was formed millions of years ago by a meteor Scientists even believe that this place was destroyed by a #meteorite and subsequently by volcanoes. The Balasinor Dinosaur Park has been home to seven different types of #dinosaurs — Megalosaurus, Iquanodon, Titanosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Brontosaurus.

Vyas said that the dinosaur fossils found here are divided into two orders based on their hip structure. They are Saurischia and Ornithiscia. Vyas said that the park would also be given due importance by the tourism department. Government officials said the first dinosaur fossil was in the form of a limb-bone in ‘Intrappean-Laneta’ sediments. Raioli discovered by the paleontologists of Geological Survey of India (GSL) Officials said in 1997 Gujarat government invited a group of 50 paleontologists to explore the fossil site. Ever since a large number of paleontologists have flown in from different parts of the world to study the diverse variety of dinosaur fossils found here.





Courtesy:- Sunday Times Of India, March, 2011.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

No hotels within 2 km of Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India

Hoteliers eyeing business opportunities around Gir Sanctuary, Gujarat, India may not have many options left. The State Forest Department has banned such activities within the two- km radius of the sanctuary.

The department recently issued a notification restricting setting up any new hotel business in the two km periphery of the sanctuary. The decision is aimed at giving Asiatic Lions free access to the Sasan Gir Sanctuary and to project their natural corridor.

Forest officials said, however, those Hotels and Farmhouses which are already in the business would continue to do so. He said after the tourism department’s advertisement featuring Gujarat brand Ambassador Amithbh Bachan, there was a mad rush of the tourists to the sanctuary. Sensing opportunities, businessmen started buying land in the area. This forced the state forest department to come out with the regulation.

S.K. Nanda, Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment Department said the restriction on the Hotel Industry was only to give free excess to the Lions.

He said that the movement of the Lions was getting restricted because of the developments happening around the Sanctuary. Nanda said the Department has also asked existing hotel owners to have their flood lights placed in such a way that it would not affect the movement of Lions.




Coutesy :- The Times Of India.