Lucknow: In what could give a major boost to tourism in Uttar Pradesh, the 1400 million years old Fossil Park in Sonbhadra district of the state is being granted the status of World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), officials said. According to the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh, the Department is making efforts to get the Fossil Park, which is located near Salkhan in Sonbhadra, listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department is in the process to complete the procedure in this regard, Singh said. The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister said that recently the team of the department had also visited this park along with Dr MG Thakkar, Director of Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences. During the visit to the Fossil Park, the team found that many fossils are present in Sonbhadra, which can be a very attractive place for tourists and fossil lovers.
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To cash on the Fossil Park, the department has started preparing a plan to develop this place as a tourist destination, which will give a boost to tourism in the state, the minister said. The department claims that according to estimates this fossil park is about 1400 million years old. Paleontologists and tourists from all over the world keep coming to this place throughout the year to see the fossil park.
The Tourism Minister said that inspection of different types of fossils present here shows that different categories of animals lived in different periods of time. The fossils found in this park are algae and stromatolites type fossils. At present, the responsibility of maintaining this park is taken by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
Singh said that apart from the Fossil Park, Sonbhadra also has natural waterfalls and picturesque valleys which can attract tourists to the area. He said that the Department will develop the necessary infrastructure to attract tourists. The Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal, Sarnath and Ghats of Varanasi are already listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
