The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday ordered the suspension of all mining operations in Bageshwar district citing a report flagging environmental and safety concerns. A copy of the order has been seen by Scroll.
The report, submitted by court commissioners, said that illegal mining activities had damaged homes and exacerbated the risk of landslides in the region.
A bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari said the report’s findings were shocking.
“The report and the photographs clearly demonstrate complete lawlessness by the miners, and are proofs of local administration turning a blind eye to the transgression,” the court said.
“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,” the court added. “The ironical part is that trained officers have permitted mining operations at the base of the hillock, when habitations in the revenue villages are found on the top of the hillock.”
The photos also show deep cracks “indicating impending landslides” that would lead to huge loss of lives, the court added.
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