Uttarakhand HC permits auction of mined stock of soapstone, orders filling pits

Nainital, Jun 17 (PTI) The Uttarakhand High Court has granted permission for the auction of soapstone mining material in Bageshwar district and also directed the state government to fill the mined pits.

A bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mehra passed the order on Monday while hearing a bunch of petitions related to soapstone mining causing cracks in houses in several villages of Kanda tehsil in the district.

The court ordered that the mining material will be auctioned under the supervision of a three-member committee. The mine owners had requested permission for auction of the mined stock of soapstone.

Earlier, the court had suggested the formation of an auction committee for disposal of previously mined stock lying at mining sites.

The amicus curiae of the high court proposed the names of historian Padma Shri Shekhar Pathak, Dr Ravi Chopra, Anoop Nautiyal, and Dr Bharat Jhunjhunwala for supervision of the auction of the material.

Considering the suggestions, the court formed a committee under the chairmanship of Dr Shekhar Pathak.

Now, the panel will publish advertisements in national dailies for the auction of soapstone mining material and the funds thus received from the auction will be kept in a separate bank account.

These funds will be used towards environmental compensation and will remain under the court’s supervision.

The court has directed that the auction process be completed within six weeks.

It also directed the state government to fill the pits caused due to soapstone mining immediately so that water does not enter them during monsoon causing further damage to the topography.

Villagers in Kanda tehsil had written to the chief justice stating that illegal soapstone mining has ruined their farming and homes, besides destroying the water pipelines.

It was said in the letter that there are 147 soapstone mines in the area. Mining was carried out there using heavy machinery which caused cracks in the area.

The court will now hear the matter on June 23. PTI COR ALM ALM KVK KVK