Chalk mining has created a Joshimath-like situation in Kanda area of Bageshwar in Uttarakhand. Cracks have started appearing in houses, temples, fields and roads. Locals say that the government is turning a blind eye to their problems. When Bachi Singh Nagarkoti sees the deep cracks and tilted house, he remembers his father who spent all his savings to rebuild this house for his two sons. Now cracks have appeared in front of the house. When chalk mining started, Bachi and his mother thought it was a good thing for the area, as some people were making money and mining was being done largely by hand. However, soon it became large-scale and heavy machinery started being used and now the villagers are praying for the safety of their homes.
‘We cannot sleep in the rain for fear of our house collapsing’
Nagarkoti said, ‘We have this one house and a little land for farming. My father spent all his savings to repair our old house, but now it has tilted. When there is heavy rain, we cannot sleep for fear of our house collapsing. All this is happening because of the mining happening right below the hill.’
Bachi’s ancestral house is situated on top of a hill and the mining of chalk is happening just below the hill. Bachi says that the administration dismissed his complaint saying that the mining is happening far away from his house, but in reality, one can clearly see that the basement of the hill has been disturbed a lot due to uncontrolled mining and the hill in front of his house has developed terrible cracks and a large part of the mountain is slowly sliding towards the mine.
Despite several complaints, no hearing took place
Despite several complaints, mining continues to pose a threat to the locals. These people do not have the money to build a wall to support their house, which is technically the responsibility of the miners. Protocols have not been followed, nor has there been any safety audit of the houses in the area. No geological experts have been called in to find out about the damage the mines are causing to the locals.
More than 1000 years old temple is in danger
Unrestrained mining is not only a threat to the homes of the villagers, but to the entire civilization of this area. The 1000-year-old Kalika temple in the village has started developing cracks. According to the locals, this temple is about 1000 years old. However, now it is in danger. Cracks have started appearing in the temple premises. There is a chalk mine just 50 meters away from the temple and the locals claim that this is the reason why the cracks have appeared in the temple.
Temple committee chairman and former army man Raghuvir Singh Majila said, “Around 1000 years ago, to get rid of the bad omen caused by the death of some locals during Navaratri, the then Adi Shankaracharya had asked the villagers to invite a Kshatriya to sacrifice animals. The Majilas of this area are the descendants of the same person who was invited from Munsiyari for animal sacrifice. This has been banned since the Supreme Court order of 2011. This temple is a major religious place in the entire area and the economy of this area has also revolved around the temple and its visitors.”
The livelihood of the local people depends on the influx of devotees in the temple
Locals have opened restaurants and small eateries for the devotees of the temple. As soon as the cracks started appearing, locals complained about the mining, which is close to the temple and two nearby houses, but to no avail. The livelihood of many locals depends on the influx of devotees to this temple. Local activist Suresh Singh Majila said, “The main source of income in this sparsely populated area is farming and religious tourism. Both have come under threat due to uncontrolled mining. We have not been given any assurance by the government to build retaining walls in the mines to protect the houses and the temple.”
Residents demand rehabilitation
Many locals are now demanding rehabilitation. Hemchandra Kandpal’s family is the worst affected. His house has developed severe cracks and he blames the mining going on beneath the hill for this.
Hemchandra Kandpal says, “These cracks cannot be repaired, demolishing the house and rebuilding it is the only option left. The government should provide us land for rehabilitation.” They are literally living under falling walls and they blame mining for this deadly situation.
Kandpal said, ‘I was born here, I have never seen such a situation. All this is happening due to uncontrolled mining. The condition of my house is so bad that the doors of the old rooms on the ground floor are stuck forever because the house has tilted. We tried many times, but we are afraid to put too much pressure on the doors because the house may collapse. My bedroom door is also opening after a lot of effort due to the tilted floor.’
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.