Bageshwar's Mining Crisis: SC Families Living in Constant Fear
More than 100 Scheduled Caste families residing near mining zones in Bageshwar district are spending sleepless nights, terrified that their homes might collapse at any moment. These families from villages including Dhunga-Patli, Loharkhet, Papon, Garhwal Sirmoli and Kande Kanyal report that their houses have developed severe structural damage with widening cracks, bending roofs and sinking courtyards that worsen daily.
Homes Turning Into Death Traps
The residents live with the constant apprehension that resumed mining operations could completely flatten their only valuable assets—their homes. Poverty and illiteracy have created significant barriers preventing these families from approaching authorities for assistance and rehabilitation. They lack knowledge about whom to approach with their complaints and cannot afford the long journey to government offices that could address their concerns.
"We have to choose between spending our daily earnings on bus fare to reach officials or letting our family members and children go hungry," explained one resident, highlighting their impossible dilemma. Despite repeated appeals for help, not a single family has received compensation or even an official inspection of their damaged properties.
Monsoon Woes Amplify Dangers
During this year's monsoon season, their fears escalated dramatically as they continued living in their increasingly unsafe homes. Relentless excavation activities have severely weakened mountain slopes, resulting in numerous families witnessing their walls splitting open, courtyards sinking and portions of houses collapsing due to landslides and constant tremors from heavy machinery.
In Dhunga-Patli, Bahadur Ram's two-room house has become so dangerous that his family has stopped sleeping indoors entirely. The Supreme Court's permission to resume operations at two mines located directly beneath his property forced this drastic decision. "Before the high court ban, machines ran day and night. The mines will run again… and maybe this time our house won't survive," he said, his voice trembling with emotion.
Recalling a particularly terrifying incident, Bahadur Ram described how "the mountain slid in the night… we ran barefoot in the dark," while pointing to a massive scar on the hillside. Since that traumatic night, his family hasn't dared to sleep inside their house, which now features cracks running across all walls, a bent roof and a sinking courtyard as the soil beneath their home continues to shift daily.
Neighbors Share Similar Horrors
His neighbor, Kheem Ram, showed the extensive damage to his own home, including wide gaps in the walls and a completely caved-in courtyard. "We don't know whom to complain to. We can't even afford the fare to go to Bageshwar. And if we do, it's a loss of a day's wages… then what do we eat? And what would happen after complaining? Someone will come and threaten us in the evening," he revealed, expressing the community's sense of helplessness and fear of retaliation.
Approximately 50 kilometers away in Loharkhet, Joga Ram experienced his kitchen collapsing during this monsoon, adding to his existing troubles after losing half his fingers and a leg in a mining accident four years earlier. "Three sides around my house have been mined. Our whole neighbourhood is in danger," he stated grimly.
In Papon village, Anil Tamta reported that reckless excavation has essentially destroyed their entire community. "The pits were never filled. We went from the patwari to the DM… no one listens. We are tired now. There's neither strength left nor money," he expressed with resignation.
Systemic Failures and Official Response
Ganesh Rawat, who has closely monitored soapstone mining activities in the region, explained a critical systemic issue: leaseholders change every year in most mines. "One operator extracts his profit and then sells the lease to another for crores. This increases illegal mining and causes severe damage to both the environment and local communities. In the end, people's losses are never compensated," he analyzed.
When contacted, District Mining Officer Nazia Hasan stated that leaseholders bear responsibility for providing compensation. "That is the rule," she affirmed. Meanwhile, the disaster department has assessed damage from this year's monsoon season at over Rs 400 crore, yet remarkably, not a single mining-affected village appears in official lists of damaged areas.
These Scheduled Caste families feel completely abandoned as their most valuable possessions—their homes—continue to crack and sink deeper into the unstable ground, with no relief or assistance in sight despite the evident danger to their lives and livelihoods.
