Tuesday, August 16 2005 11:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: The Union Tourism ministry has sanctioned Rs 3.5 crores for setting up a Dinosaur Fossil Park in Rahioli near Balasinore in Gujarat considered to the one of the biggest hatcheries of dinosaurs in the world during the Jurassic era-- about 65 million years ago.

"The amount has been sanctioned recently to develop this area in a big way which has very unique characteristic because most of the dinosaurs that roamed this areas were reptiles and palaeontologists from different parts of the country come here to study the area," said Director of Geological Survey of India Dr Z G Ghevariya.

The GSI had sent the proposal to the Centre in 1985 for protection and developing the dinosaur site in Rahioli in Kheda district of Gujarat as this region occupies special position in India and the world at large for the study of dinosaurs.

At that time, the GSI had asked for Rs one crore to develop the area and construct the Dinosaur Fossil Park. "But over the years with the escalation in cost we will need much more," said Ghevariya.

"All knowledge about these giant creatures which became extinct 65 million years ago has to be built on the basis of fossils embedded in rocks and India constitutes part of the cluster of the same continent-- the Gondwana land about 250 million years ago when dinosaurs evolved on earth," he said.