The problems at the two soil mines in Dien Chau need to be resolved completely.

Illegal exploitation of large areas and volumes.

A closer look at the two quarries owned by Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company and Hoang Phuc Limited Liability Company, licensed for exploitation in Dien Loi commune, Dien Chau district, but operating beyond the permitted boundaries as reported by Nghe An Newspaper in its issues dated August 14 and 29, 2024, reveals that many issues still need to be resolved definitively.

According to the minutes of the meeting between the inspection team of the Dien Chau District People's Committee and the local authorities of Dien Loi commune and the two mining units on July 30, 2024, the main task of the Dien Chau District People's Committee inspection team was to inspect and work on issues related to mineral exploitation, land management, construction, and ensuring traffic order and safety related to the soil mine in Dien Loi commune (handling proposals and recommendations from Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company and the Dien Chau District Police). However, the inspection revealed a more serious problem.

Previously, on June 25, 2024, Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company personally submitted a "Petition for Help" to the Dien Chau District Party Committee and People's Committee regarding the completion, renovation, and upgrading of the road leading to the quarry. According to this petition, at 8:00 AM on June 25, 2024, the Dien Loi Commune People's Committee sent a working group comprising representatives from various departments and agencies to erect barriers and block the road leading to the company's quarry. They also stationed personnel to prevent quarry vehicles from entering the area to support production.

Returning to the inspection by the Dien Chau District People's Committee on July 30, 2024, the Dien Loi Commune People's Committee reported that heavy trucks carrying soil from two quarries were damaging roads, causing dust, affecting people's lives (especially students going to school), and creating traffic safety hazards; not to mention the infrequent watering which caused environmental pollution.

The People's Committee of Dien Loi commune also acknowledged that there was an incident where residents blocked the road, preventing vehicles carrying materials from entering the mining area on June 25-26, but the blockade was later dismantled and the units resumed operations.

Significantly, the People's Committee of Dien Loi commune directly stated the actual situation regarding the mining scope of the two soil mines. Accordingly, both companies have been mining outside the boundaries of the mines for which they were granted land use rights. The People's Committee of the commune has worked with and requested them to stop mining outside the designated area, but the companies have deliberately continued to violate the regulations.

Immediately afterwards, the on-site inspection team verified the local authorities' reports. Specifically, both mines currently in operation had areas outside the boundaries of their assigned mining sites. In the case of the soil mine belonging to Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company, the boundary markers had been lost.

According to the information we have, after the People's Committee of Dien Chau District issued Document No. 2173/UBND-TNMT urging the preparation of dossiers to handle violations of the law on mineral exploitation activities for 2 soil mines in Dien Loi commune, the People's Committee of Dien Loi commune coordinated with the North Central Geological Federation to conduct measurements and determine the volume of violations committed by the two aforementioned units.

On September 6th, the People's Committee of Dien Loi commune submitted Report No. 409/BC-UBND to the People's Committee of Dien Chau district regarding the violations at two soil mines located in the area. According to the report, Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company exploited land beyond the area leased in the first phase (within the area licensed for the second phase, but the land allocation procedures have not yet been completed), covering an area of ​​2.08 hectares, with an estimated violation volume of 114,000 cubic meters.³.

As for Hoang Phuc Co., Ltd., this company also exploited beyond the permitted boundaries and area, covering more than 2 hectares and with a volume exceeding 100,000 cubic meters.³.

However, the local authorities are currently finalizing the administrative violation report. The extent of the penalties and sanctions remains to be seen.

It needs to be resolved completely.

Based on our observations and field surveys along the route from the two soil mines to the leveling area (located next to the N2 road), as well as reports from the People's Committee of Dien Loi commune and opinions from local residents along the soil transportation route, the mining and transportation units, using many heavy-duty vehicles, are causing damage to the road, creating thick clouds of dust, and affecting the lives of the people (including on the asphalt road DH.256 through the center of Dien Loi commune).

During a meeting on July 30, 2024, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tu, Secretary of the Party Cell of Hamlet 6, Dien Loi Commune, stated that local residents strongly support the government's policy on mining and road construction. However, he noted that the implementation and transportation of materials by heavy-duty vehicles have damaged the roads, caused dust pollution, affected the environment, impacted people's lives, and created traffic safety hazards.

Mr. Tu claimed that on June 25-26, 2024, residents blocked the road and stopped mining vehicles. In reality, it was the people of Hamlet 6 who had to "cry for help." The Party Committee and People's Committee of the commune paid close attention, holding approximately eight meetings with the enterprise to request that mining units comply with regulations and avoid affecting the people.

Mr. Phan Binh, Secretary of the Party Branch of Hamlet 5, stated that the excessive transportation by various units is causing environmental pollution and affecting the lives of the people. This is also the reason why the residents blocked the road.

Following the inspection of two soil mines in Dien Loi commune by the Dien Chau District People's Committee, the Dien Chau District Police also organized numerous inspection and control teams, deploying weighing scales to check the weight of vehicles before they leave the mines. They strictly dealt with violations related to transporting oversized and overloaded goods, and illegally modifying vehicle dimensions; at the same time, they organized the signing of commitments with vehicle owners, mine owners, and drivers.

Furthermore, in Dien Loi commune, on March 19th, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 599/QD-UBND approving the plan for auctioning mineral exploitation rights in the first phase of 2024 in Nghe An province. Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee will conduct an auction for the exploitation rights of two quarries for leveling materials that have not yet undergone exploration, assessment of reserves and quality in Dien Loi commune, Dien Chau district. One quarry covers an area of ​​17.6 hectares, and the other covers an area of ​​22.55 hectares.

If the auction and licensing process is completed, Dien Loi will have four soil mines, not to mention several other key projects that will also be implemented in the area.

Clearly, with what happened to the two quarries of Hoang Phuc Co., Ltd. and Thien Hoang Equipment Joint Stock Company, the local authorities must learn a profound lesson in management. First and foremost, they must strictly and decisively address the violations committed by the two quarry owners when they illegally exploited beyond the permitted boundaries; at the same time, they need to review the handling of information received from the grassroots level. The Dien Loi Commune People's Committee reported this matter in writing at the beginning of June 2024, but it wasn't until the end of July that the inspection team from the Dien Chau District People's Committee conducted an inspection, and even then, they inspected and handled a different issue as mentioned above.

Furthermore, the shortcomings in material transportation, as reported by residents, must be definitively addressed to avoid conflicts, especially given the future plans for more quarries and projects in the area.