Local admin turned blind eye to soapstone mining in Bageshwar, says High Court, suspends all operations

“The report is not merely alarming but is also shocking. The report and the photographs clearly demonstrate complete lawlessness by the miners and are proof of local administration turning a blind eye to the transgression. Further, the report and the photographs, prima facie, demonstrate that further mining operations, which have already damaged dwelling houses, are likely to result in landslides and definite loss of lives,” said the order by the Bench of Chief Justice G Narender.

The report by the commissioners states that there were alarming levels of land subsidence and “soapstone mining in the region is leading to critical environmental and socio-economic issues for which the community is at the receiving end”.

The court said photographs indicate huge crevasses, indicating impending landslides that could lead to the loss of many lives. “Hence, pending further orders, all mining operations in Bageshwar district shall stand suspended with immediate effect,” the court said.

The report also said that there was illegal tree felling, unauthorised use of forest land by mine operators, employment of foreign labour from Nepal and flouting of labour laws. It also pointed to air, water, and noise pollution and the drying up of springs.

The issue of land subsidence was found in the villages of Kanda-Kanyal, Kanda and other mining sites.

According to a report submitted in the NGT by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the area’s flora includes oak, cedar and cypress, and the wildlife there includes leopard, wild boar, and fox.

The Kalika temple, a significant religious site, is also in the area.