LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government today said that it is working to get international heritage status for the fossil park in a village in Sonbhadra district.
The fossil park is believed to be more than 1,400 million-year-old and the state government website claims it is larger than the Yellowstone National park in the USA.
"The state government has already taken an initiative to get international heritage status for the fossil park in Salkhan village in Sonbhadra district," Tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said in the Legislative Council during Question Hour.
Joshi said a recent booklet published by the state tourism department has mentioned the fossil park. "We want that it should be declared as an international heritage," she said.
"Since the park comes under the forest department, the tourism department cannot interfere. But, now the tourism department and the forest department of the state have entered into an agreement and both will work to boost eco-tourism.
This will help in getting the park declared as international heritage," she said.
Salkhan Fossils Park, officially known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park, is located 12 km from Robertsganj, the district headquarters of Sonbhadra.
Fossils of algae and stromatolites are found in the park spread over an area of about 25 hectares in Kaimur Range, adjacent to Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary.