Annual Report 2001-2002 Organisational Structure GOVERNING BODY Chairman Members (Ex-officio) (w.e.f. 20.06.2000) Dr M. Sanjappa Professor Ashok Sahni Director Dean of University Instructions & Botanical Survey of India Professor of Geology P-8, Brabourne Road Panjab University Kolkata 700 001 Chandigarh 160 014 Shri Ravi Shanker / Dr P.C. Mondal Members Director General Geological Survey of India Professor V.S. Ramamurthy, 27, Jawaharlal Nehru Road Secretary or his Nominee Kolkata 700 016 DST, Technology Bhavan New Mehrauli Road Professor M.P. Singh New Delhi 110 016 Department of Geology Lucknow University Dr H.K. Gupta, Lucknow 226 007 Director National Geophysical Research Institute Member-Secretary (Ex-officio) Uppal Road Hyderabad 500 037 Professor Anshu Kumar Sinha, Director, Shri Arun Sharma, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Joint Secretary Lucknow 226 007 & Financial Adviser or his Nominee DST, Technology Bhavan Non-Member Assistant Secretary (Ex-officio) New Mehrauli Road New Delhi 110 016 Shri Suresh Chandra Bajpai, Registrar, Professor J.S. Singh Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Department of Botany Lucknow 226 007 Banaras Hindu University Varanasi 221 005 RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL †Professor D.D. Pant 106, Tagore Town Chairman Allahabad 211 002 (w.e.f. 01.10.2000) Professor Manju Banerjee (From 06.11.2001) Professor J.S. Singh Department of Botany Department of Botany Calcutta University Banaras Hindu University 35, Ballygunge Circular Road Varanasi 221 005 Kolkata 700 019 1 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Member-Convener (Ex-officio) Member (Ex-officio) Shri Ravi Shanker Professor Anshu Kumar Sinha, Senior Dy. Director General Director, GSI, Northern Region, Sector ‘E’ Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Aliganj, Lucknow 226 020 Lucknow 226 007 Non-Member Secretary (Ex-officio) Members Shri Suresh Chandra Bajpai, Registrar, Dr K.R. Gupta Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Adviser (ESS), DST Lucknow 226 007 Technology Bhavan, New Mehrauli Road New Delhi 110 016 FINANCE & BUILDING COMMITTEE Professor B.D. Sharma Kathmandi Chairman (Ex-officio) Narnaul 123 001 Professor Ashok Sahni Professor I.B. Singh Chairman, Governing Body Department of Geology Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow University Lucknow 226 007 Lucknow 226 007 Members Dr N.D. Mitra 49 D, Townshend Road Shri Arun Sharma Bhawanipur Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser Kolkata 700 025 or his Nominee, Department of Science and Technology, Technology Bhawan, Professor S.N. Agashe New Mehrauli Road, Department of Botany, Bangalore University New Delhi 110 016 401, 41st Cross, 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 041 Professor M.P. Singh Member, Governing Body Professor Manju Banerjee Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Department of Botany Calcutta University Shri V.P. Garg 35, Ballygunge Circular Road 71, Mall Avenue Kolkata 700 019 Avas Vikas Colony Lucknow 226 001 Shri Kuldeep Chandra Executive Director, ONGC Member (Ex-officio) KDM Institute of Petroleum Exploration 9, Kaulagarh Road Professor Anshu Kumar Sinha, Dehradun 248 195 Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Professor P.K. Khare Lucknow 226 007 Department of Botany Allahabad University Non-Member Secretary (Ex-officio) Allahabad 211 002 Shri Suresh Chandra Bajpai, Professor S.B. Bhatia Registrar, 441, Sector 6 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Panchkula 134 109 Lucknow 226 007 2 Annual Report 2001-2002 BSIP ORGANISATIONAL SET-UP CHAIRMAN GOVERNING BODY RESEARCH FINANCE & ADVISORY BUILDING COUNCIL COMMITTEE DIRECTOR THRUST AREAS UNITS ANCILLARY ADMINISTRATION RESEARCH GROUPS TO RESEARCH Antiquity of Life Research Planning REGISTRAR and Co-ordination Cell Gondwana Supercontinent: Finance and Accounts Regional Geology, Floristics, Publication Terrane Accretion, Plate Establishment Tectonics and Configuration Library Scientific Activities Biopetrology of Indian Coals in Museum relation to Coal Bed Methane Stores & Purchase Herbarium Floristics of Petroliferous Works, Building & Basins Maintenance Maceration Laboratory Quaternary Vegetation, Climate Transport & and Monsoon Guest House Workshop Scanning Electron Microscope Electronic Data Processing Photography 3 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Research Thrust Area: Antiquity of Life Project 1: Palaeobiology and biostratigraphy of Precambrian Basin Component 2: Morphotaxonomical studies of biological remains of both micro- and mega-fossils from the Meso/Neoproterozoic sediments of the Kurnool and Chhattisgarh Reviewed carbonaceous mega remains from the first time from the interbedded dark gray siltstone Owk Shale Formation of Kurnool Basin. Presence of belonging to Chaporadih Formation of Chandarpur forms- Longfengshania and Tawuia indicates Group exposed in Kodar Nala near Tumgaon (Raipur Neoproterozoic age for the beds. The microfossil remains District) and Dhansera Village (Sarangarh), Chhattisgarh. comprise smooth walled acritarch (Orygmato- The small sized Lieosphaeridia and ornamented forms sphaeridium, Protosphaeridium) along with presence of acritarch belong to sphaeromorphida as well as a few of Obruchevella, the Vendian marker element in the processed forms of sphaerohystrichmorphida groups in basin. Diversified remains of thallophytic algae are the present assemblage. Cyanobacteria are represented addition to the assemblage of microbial remains from the by colonies of sphaeroidal cells and two types of chert bed in Koilkuntala Limestone Formation (Kurnool trichomes. The recovered forms are mostly comparable Group) exposed near Nandikotkur in Kurnool District, with earlier reported forms. Vendian marker acritarchs A.P. Similar forms are known from the Late Proterozoic are not present in the recovered assemblage. The OWM beds of China. Fresh collections of ichnofossils/ in assemblage suggest an early Neoproterozoic age. dubiofossils from the Panium Quartzite Formation have Studied spindle-shaped ichnofossils from the also been studied. These forms grouped as- medusoid sandstone bed showing animal activity comparable with like form, algal mat texture and spindle-shaped forms, modern annelids. The present forms are similar to forms do not throw any light on the age. All these recorded earlier reported from other countries in equivalent beds. forms have not proved to be of any help in demarcating These forms are indicative of coastal shallow marine the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary in Kurnool Basin. conditions. Analysis of the recovered assemblage both macro/microfossils indicates an early Neoproterozoic age Manoj Shukla & Mukund Sharma for the Chandarpur Group. Studied organic-walled microfossils (OWM) R. Babu comprising acritarch and cyanobacterial remains for the Thrust Area: Gondwana Supercontinent: Regional Geology, Floristics, Terrane Accretion, Plate Tectonics and Configuration Project 2: Floristics and biostratigraphy of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic of Himalayas Component 1: Floristics and stratigraphy of the Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sediments of the Tethyan Himalaya and their regional relationship 4 Annual Report 2001-2002 Carried out integrated spores-pollen studies with the intergrated biostratigraphy of the Spiti Shale, which has known faunal data from two sections around Laptal been dated from Oxfordian to Berriasian in age. Camp in Malla Johar area. The study has helped in the Vijaya Component 2: Permian plant fossils from North-Eastern Himalayas Finalized the study on morphological and The palynological assemblages of different localities stratigraphical significance of floristic assemblages of Permian sediments show poor recovery of spores and recovered from different localities of Arunachal Pradesh, pollen in quality as well as in quantity. Quite often samples Sikkim and Darjeeling. It has been observed that the were treated for more than a month and many times Permian sediments of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are repeated maceration had to be carried out for the mainly represented by the species of Gangamopteris, recovery of spores-pollen. The mioflora of Darjeeling Noeggerathiopsis and Glossopteris, whereas, area shows the presence of Striatites, Darjeeling flora is essentially represented by the species Striatopodocarpites, Faunipollenites, Alisporites and of Glossopteris along with equisetalean genera of Paravesicaspora, which is comparable with the mioflora Phyllotheca and Schizoneura. Comparison of the flora of Raniganj Formation. Arunachal and Sikkim with Lower Gondwana formations of peninsular India assemblages represented by Sahanites, suggests that Gangamopteris, Noeggerathiopsis Vikkhipollenites, Striatrites, Diastriatites and association discovered in Arunachal and Sikkim areas is Microbaculispora suggest affiliation with the Lower comparable with the Lower Barakar flora. The Barakar mioflora. dominance of Glossopteris and presence of equisetales in Darjeeling coalfield is correlated with the Raniganj A.K. Srivastava & A.P. Bhattacharyya assemblage of peninsular India. The specific identification of Glossopteris leaves described by earlier workers is revised during the course of study. R. Tewari & A.K. Srivastava Project 4: Floristics, biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of Gondwana sediments Component 1: Morphotaxonomy, floristics, evolution, biostratigraphy and palaeo-environmental studies of Son-Mahanadi, Damodar, Panagarh and Birbhum basins Completed identification of 200 impression and macerated for recovery and study of megaspores, compression specimens from seven localities in the however, they proved barren. southern part of Mand-Raigarh