Srinagar, Jan 27: The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to earmark ₹10 crore in the 2026–27 Budget for the protection, conservation and scientific development of the Guryul Ravine Permian–Triassic Boundary (PTB) Section at Khunmoh, Srinagar—one of the most significant geological sites on Earth.

The Guryul Ravine preserves the world’s clearest record of the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction, or the “Great Dying,” which occurred around 252 million years ago and wiped out over 75% of terrestrial flora and nearly 95% of marine life. The site also contains globally unique evidence of the world’s earliest known tsunami.
The demand follows the official declaration of the Guryul Ravine PTB Section as a Geo-Heritage Site of National Importance by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) on 16 October 2025, marking UNESCO International Geodiversity Day and International Geoethics Day. With this, the site became India’s 33rd National Geological Monument. Three other sites in Jammu and Kashmir—Barus, Mandakpal and Pastun (Tral)—were also notified under the same GSI order.
EPG noted that the Khunmoh stratigraphic section, nearly three metres thick, is far more extensive than China’s famous Meishan Section, which measures just 27 centimetres but generates billions annually through research and tourism. Despite its superior scientific value, the Guryul Ravine has suffered decades of neglect.
The group expressed grave concern over illegal mining, particularly at adjoining sites like Mandakpal, which has caused irreversible loss of geological evidence. It recalled that despite PMO directives in 2009 to halt mining, activities continued until 2017, when sustained protests finally forced a stop—by which time substantial damage had already been done.
EPG also warned against recent mountain cutting, heavy machinery use and proposed industrial infrastructure near the site, cautioning that any industrial estate in the area would irreparably destroy this unique geological archive. It pointed to Supreme Court interventions in the Aravalli Hills as a precedent for potential judicial scrutiny.
While acknowledging steps such as the transfer of 32 kanals of land, partial fencing by the Tourism Department and protective measures under the Smart City Project, EPG said these efforts remain inadequate without a comprehensive, well-funded conservation and research plan.
Calling the GSI declaration a “golden opportunity,” EPG urged immediate funding for scientific conservation, site protection, interpretation facilities, access improvements, visitor management, research infrastructure and preparation for UNESCO Global Geopark nomination—a status the group said the site fully merits.
“The fossil park at Khunmoh is a one-in-a-million site with no parallel anywhere on the planet. Destroying it in the name of development would be a historic blunder,” EPG said, urging the government to declare the area a no-mining, no-industry zone.
“Protect the Guryul Ravine. It will repay Jammu and Kashmir many times over through science, tourism and global recognition.”