Director of Nghe An Department of Natural Resources and Environment: Handling of illegal mineral exploitation has not been completed yet

On the morning of July 13, in Vinh City, the 7th Session of the People's Council of Nghe An Province, term XVIII, 2021 - 2026, entered its second working day. The Provincial People's Council discussed in the hall.

Overview of the discussion session in the hall on the morning of July 13. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Illegal mining still occurs

At the discussion session, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment directly explained, supplemented and clarified many contents that the Provincial People's Council delegates were interested in.

Regarding the issue of handling illegal mining, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Hoang Quoc Viet said that recently, illegal mining has occurred in some localities. The authorities have intervened to handle some cases but have not been able to resolve them.

"Recently, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue documents urging and directing localities to strengthen inspection, review, and strictly handle cases of illegal mineral exploitation. Some cases have been handled by the provincial police as a deterrent, but illegal exploitation of soil, sand, and gravel still occurs," said comrade Hoang Quoc Viet.

Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment explained, supplemented and clarified many contents that the Provincial People's Council delegates were interested in. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment emphasized that, according to the provisions of the 2010 Mineral Law, the management of unexploited minerals in the area is the responsibility of the local government. Therefore, in the past time, the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment have issued documents directing localities to perform this work well; departments and branches have also strengthened inspection work to handle and exploit illegal minerals in the area.

Regarding the opinions of Nghi Loc district delegates on the impact of mineral exploitation on the environment, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet said that there are currently 2 mines exploiting soil in Nghi Loc.

Regarding the Ru Rim mine (Nghi Yen commune), it was previously granted to another company, but later, following the direction, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment advised the Provincial People's Committee to re-grant it to VSIP Nghe An Limited Liability Company to carry out site clearance for the Industrial Park in Dien Chau. After the end of the exploitation period, the company will restore the environment, according to the EIA project approved by the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone.

Provincial People's Council delegates attending the meeting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

For the ecological mine of Tan Nam Company to serve the filling of the North-South Expressway project and the coastal road project. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone, Nghi Loc district to request the company to ensure environmental work during the exploitation process; after the exploitation period ends, it will request the organization to restore the environment according to regulations.

Regarding the issue of concern to delegates in mountainous districts revolving around mineral exploitation, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that some localities have proposed to authorize the district level, or people to exploit garden land, exploit sand and gravel from riverbanks to build civil works. However, according to the 2010 Mineral Law, the licensing authority belongs to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Provincial People's Committee.

"The Provincial People's Committee only grants licenses for common mineral materials, and is not authorized to authorize district and commune levels to grant licenses for mineral exploitation," said Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet, adding that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has reported this issue and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is currently amending the 2010 Mineral Law and proposing to include this content in the draft, thereby creating conditions for localities to have raw materials to build civil works.

The Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that the problem of handling illegal mineral exploitation has not been resolved. Photo courtesy

The results of granting certificates of land use rights in backlog are low.

Regarding the issue of granting certificates of outstanding land use rights, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Hoang Quoc Viet reported that, based on the supervision of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council, on December 30, 2021, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 85 on granting certificates of outstanding land use rights.

"When synthesizing to implement Decision 28 of the Provincial People's Committee, localities reported to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment that there were 11,949 cases of land allocation beyond their authority. However, when synthesizing from districts to build Plan 85, there were nearly 15,000 cases, an increase of more than 4,000 cases," Mr. Viet said, adding that according to Plan 85, there were up to 47,680 cases of outstanding land that had to be resolved.

"This has existed for a very long time, in many cases for decades. For example, in Dien Chau district, there are more than 1,500 cases where the houses were built a long time ago, but the people do not have invoices or documents, and the local government does not keep invoices or documents to prove the people's fulfillment of financial obligations to the state," said Mr. Viet.

The work of granting certificates of land use rights in the province is facing many difficulties. Photo: PV

According to comrade Hoang Quoc Viet, Decision 28 of the Provincial People's Committee has provided a direction to resolve the problem of land backlog. "In these cases, the Provincial People's Committee at the district level will establish an inspection or examination team to verify whether households and individuals have fulfilled their financial obligations to the State. If they have fulfilled their financial obligations to the State and the land does not affect the planning or traffic safety corridor, they are eligible for issuance of certificates. If they have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the State, they must fulfill their financial obligations to the State to issue land use right certificates to the people."

Emphasizing that "these are difficult cases that have not been resolved for many years", the Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that in the first 6 months of the year, the People's Committees at the district level achieved a low rate of implementing this target, only nearly 5%.

"In the coming time, it is recommended that districts closely follow the plan of the Provincial People's Committee to direct implementation. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment will establish delegations to inspect, guide, and handle difficulties for localities. At the same time, advise the Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial People's Council to remove difficulties and obstacles for districts. For urban land, real estate projects, and apartment buildings, the Department will try to complete the targets assigned by the Provincial People's Committee, ensuring to reach 65-80% according to the plan", said Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet./.