`Jurassic Park' coming up in Gujarat

Gujarat government has decided to develop a dinosaur fossil park at Balasinor, which is home to one of the largest dinosaur hatcheries in the world.

Some 1,000 fossilised eggs of the extinct species have been found at the site, at Rayoli village in Balasinor, some 85 km from Ahmedabad, which is now being developed as a `dinosaur tourism' destination.

The site is governed by the Gujarat Ecological and Research Foundation.

"Balasinor dinosaur fossil park is a unique site, just like flamingo city of Kutch or Asiatic lion sanctuary at Sasan Gir. We are working hard to develop these places and turn them into international attractions," state tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas said.

The dinosaur fossils were first discovered at Rayoli in 1981 by the Geological Survey of India. A year later, approximately 1,000 dinosaur eggs were discovered, making this place famous among the palaeontologists as one of the biggest dinosaur hatcheries in the world.

Scientists say that at least seven species of dinosaur once roamed here; the fossils are estimated to be around 65 million years old.

Vyas said it was widely believed that this place was a part of the `Shiva crater' that was formed millions of years ago by a meteor crash.

The meteor crash, and the later volcano eruptions devastated this area, scientists believe.

The state government has provided a grant of Rs six crore for the development of fossil park; the work is currently on.

Gujarat government invited a group of 50 palaeontologists to explore the site in 1997. Since then, a large number of palaeontologists have visited the area.