International fossil park in Srinagar soon

Jammu and Kashmir would soon get an International Fossil Park at a 250 million-year-old tsunami site here to give a broader display of the state's geological history as well as to facilitate research work.
"An International Fossil Park would soon be established at Khonmoh, Srinagar," Deputy Commissioner (Srinagar) Farooq Ahmad Lone said.
Lone visited the site at Khonmoh yesterday and sought the records from the Departments of Revenue and Wildlife so that the project can be commissioned at the earliest.
He was accompanied by Director Tourism, Kashmir, Mehmood Ahmad Shah and other senior officials.
The potential of the Khonmoh area is geographically and geologically well known, as few years back a mammoth skeleton of an elephant was excavated from the area, the officials said.

"This is a unique site in the world where we have signs of the mass extinction of species during tsunami that occurred 250 million years back," the officials informed Lone.

He held a discussion with the officials over developing the site into a park of international repute.
Lone impressed upon the officials to develop the International Fossil Park on a priority basis so that it could not only help in preserving the artifacts and historical sites, but also give boost to educational tourism in the state.
Director Tourism, Kashmir said that apart from the tourism point of view, the site would also facilitate scholars in research work.

"The park has been envisaged to give a broader display of the state's geological history. The department of geology and Geophysics, University of Kashmir, had agreed for providing fossils at the site, which according to them would attract the researchers of international repute. The department would also establish a museum for displaying the artifacts," he said.