Budget 2026–27: EPG Demands Rs 10 Crore for Conservation of Guryul Ravine | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Environmental Policy Group has sought a dedicated budgetary allocation of Rs 10 crore in the Jammu and Kashmir Budget 2026–27 for the protection, conservation and scientific development of the Guryul Ravine Permian–Triassic Boundary section at Khunmoh on the outskirts of Srinagar.

In a statement, the group said the demand follows the Geological Survey of India’s recent declaration of the Guryul Ravine as a Geo-Heritage Site of National Importance under the Ministry of Mines. The notification was issued on October 16, 2025, on the occasion of UNESCO International Geodiversity Day, making the site India’s 33rd National Geological Monument.

The Guryul Ravine preserves what scientists consider the clearest geological record of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, also known as the Great Dying, which occurred around 252 million years ago and resulted in the extinction of nearly 95 per cent of marine species and over 75 percent of terrestrial flora. The site also contains globally significant evidence of the world’s earliest known tsunami.

EPG said the exposed stratigraphic section at Khunmoh measures nearly three metres in thickness, far exceeding comparable international reference sections such as the Meishan section in China. Despite its scientific importance, the group said the site continues to face neglect, degradation and threats from unregulated activity.

The group expressed concern over decades of illegal mining and continued damage to adjoining sites, including Mandakpal, which it said has led to irreversible loss of geological evidence. It recalled that concerns raised by international geoscientists had prompted directives from the Prime Minister’s Office in 2009 to halt mining, but operations continued until 2017, when protests by experts, activists and local residents forced a stop.

EPG also flagged recent activity involving heavy machinery, mountain cutting and the construction of industrial infrastructure near the site, warning that any proposal to establish an industrial estate in the area would irreversibly damage the geo-heritage. It cautioned that such actions could invite judicial scrutiny, citing Supreme Court interventions in cases involving the degradation of the Aravalli Hills.

The group said it has been advocating protection of the Guryul Ravine for nearly two decades, resulting in the transfer of 32 kanals of land, partial fencing by the tourism department and additional safeguards under the Smart City project. However, it said these measures remain inadequate without a comprehensive conservation and research plan supported by sufficient funding.

Calling the GSI declaration a “critical opportunity”, EPG urged the government to allocate Rs 10 crore for conservation works, site protection, interpretation facilities, access improvement, visitor management and research infrastructure. It said the site meets the criteria for nomination as a UNESCO Global Geopark and could emerge as a major centre for geological research, education and sustainable tourism.

The group appealed to the government to declare the area a no-mining and no-industry zone and to prioritise long-term conservation over short-term industrial expansion.