Amateur historians discover plant fossils in Khammam

HYDERABAD: Amateur historians discovered plant fossils in Sattupally of Khammam district. The fossils were found near a rivulet. The historians have asked the government to protect the site as locals are taking away the fossils, mistaking them as stones and using them for construction purpose.
Historian of Telangana Jagruthi, Katta Srinivas, told TOI, “During our exploration work three years ago, we found prehistoric art in the caves near Neeladi Bainidi rock.Since then, we have been working on this spot and, on Thursday, we found plant fossils in the nearby area. The area is near a rivulet in the forest.”
“Parts of plant fossils are in the ground, while others are exposed out. People mistake them as stones or dried up wood. There is a need for in-depth excavation here. The plant fossils are millions of years old. Earlier plant fossils were found in Adilabad district, bordering Maharashtra,” Srinivas added.
Another amateur historian Kuram Pandu Ranga Rao, who is also part of the exploration team, said: “There have been instances in Telangana when Gondwana era fossils were found. In Khammam district, this is one of the rare instances.”