The High Court of Uttarakhand has appointed two advocates as court commissioners to investigate the alleged development of cracks in houses caused by soapstone mining in Bageshwar district.

The court has directed the commissioners to submit a report on the issue. On Monday, a division bench of the High Court, led by Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Pankaj Purohit, took suo-motu cognizance of media reports highlighting that several houses in villages of Kanda tehsil have developed cracks.

Bageshwar, located about 190 km from Joshimath, which made national and global headlines in early 2023 due to land subsidence, is now facing similar concerns.

The bench appointed advocates Mayank Joshi and Sharanya Dhulia as court commissioners to help the court understand the villagers' issues and provide a detailed report.

The court also involved key authorities, including the Divisional Forest Officer of Bageshwar, the State Environment Protection Authority, and the District Mining Officer, instructing them to file responses in the case.

Advocate Dushyant Mainali, assisting the court, emphasized the need for a report to ensure that mining activities in the area comply with the State Environment Protection Authority's regulations. He noted that villagers have expressed frustration, claiming that officials are unaware of their hardships.

Residents of Kande-Kanyaal village in Kanda tehsil have raised concerns about the safety of their homes due to cracks that have appeared over time. Following the complaints, a team comprising the mining officer, geologist, and tehsildar conducted an on-site inspection.

The issue of house cracks, attributed to land subsidence from mining, has been a long-standing concern in Kande-Kanyaal, with the problem worsening during the last monsoon. The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for December 26.

The situation in Uttarakhand's Joshimath, where massive cracks and fissures appeared in buildings and the ground due to land subsidence in January 2023, has raised alarms. This incident led to the evacuation of numerous people to relief camps and temporary shelters.