Clarifying the illegal mining of quartz ore in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - After receiving and posting the information "Revealing the illegal mining of quartz ore in Nghe An" (Nghe An electronic newspaper on July 15, 2020), from expanding investigation channels, it was confirmed that there was a situation of "ore thieves", thereby also showing that the local authorities at the grassroots level showed signs of loosening their responsibility in state management.
Into the "ore bandit" zone
In early July 2020, Nghe An Newspaper received information that in Chau Hong commune, Quy Hop district (Nghe An), there was illegal mining of quartz ore. "These subjects found a quartz ore vein and then brought in equipment, vehicles, and machines to organize mining and transportation for about 3-4 months now..." - the source said.
Verification from many different sources shows that the information reported to Nghe An Newspaper is well-founded. The area with illegal exploitation is identified as Lan Toong Mountain, Chau Hong Commune, Quy Hop District. The exploitation site is next to a stream, on forestry land assigned to people for management and production according to Decree 163/ND-CP.
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| From the high mountain, you can observe the area of illegal mineral exploitation. Photo: NLTV |
Piecing together the information, going up Lan Toong mountain at an altitude of more than 600m above sea level, observing down towards Chau Hong commune, we saw near the foot of the mountain there were empty yellow patches of land, clearly showing signs of being dug up.
When asking people who work on the mountain, they told us that this area belongs to Poong village, Chau Hong commune. “You have to walk in because the slope is very steep. Just go to Chau Hong 1 bridge, follow the shallow stream and there will be a path leading in. …” - said the people.
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| Chau Hong 1 Bridge is the starting point leading to the area with illegal mining. Photo: NLTV |
As this local person instructed, the dry stream at Chau Hong 1 bridge has become a passageway not only for local people, but also for large vehicles. Because on the dry stream bed, there are many wheel tracks of trucks passing by recently.
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| The shallow ravine is full of heavy-duty wheel tracks. Photo: NLTV |
About 300m past the dry ravine, there is a newly opened road that winds along the forestry hill area where 4-5 year old acacia trees are planted. This road is quite elaborate. People have cut down the height of the hillsides, opening the road wide enough for heavy-duty vehicles to enter and exit easily.
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| The road leading to the illegal mining area is quite elaborate. Photo: NLTV |
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| To make the road, the subjects also cut down areas where acacia trees were planted. Photo: NLTV |
Going on this road with a length of about 2km, you will reach an area with signs of illegal digging and exploitation. It is at the foot of some hills close to Lan Toong mountain, surrounded by forestry land growing acacia trees of all ages; there are areas that have just been exploited and have not been replanted.
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| Area of illegal stone mining. Photo: Contributor |
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| Rock ore piled up. Photo: NLTV |
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| These are also piles of ore and rocks gathered, waiting to be transported by truck. Photo: NLTV |
The area with signs of illegal stone mining is about 200m long, the estimated area of excavation and mining is about several thousand square meters. On it, some ore has been dug up and piled up, estimated at several dozen cubic meters. Also here, there is a tent covered with tarpaulin. At noon on July 14, there were no people in the tent, only household items, blankets, and a few Honda Win motorbikes.
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| Tents set up in the illegal mining area. Photo: NLTV |
Regarding the type of illegally mined stone ore, the color is not uniform. Most of them are white, some are white mixed with yellow, gray and have a metallic sheen. The size and weight are also uneven, some are relatively large, about 0.1 - 0.3m3. In general, there are many similarities with the type of quartz stone ore illegally mined in Thanh Son commune, Thanh Chuong district, which the media reported in 2019.
Regarding the value of quartz ore, according to a person knowledgeable in this field, "Quartz is an ore with very high economic value. Normal white stone has 3 types A, B, C, excluding transportation costs, the average value is about 200 thousand VND/ton. Quartz stone costs about 2 million VND/ton, excluding transportation costs, it is also 5 to 6 times higher than white stone...".
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| The size and color of the ore are not uniform. Basically, it is white mixed with yellow and gray. Photo: NLTV |
Is this area of land with illegal mining managed by an organization or a household? Upon investigation, it was found that this is a State forestry land that has been assigned to a household for management and use according to Decree 163/ND-CP. This household resides in Poong village, Chau Hong commune. The illegal mining of stone ore has been going on for about 4 months; the stone ore was transported by heavy-duty trucks...
Loosening state management?
Given what is evident on the scene, one cannot help but wonder about the state management role of all levels, sectors and units in the area. Especially the Chau Hong commune government.
This is because the area where illegal exploitation took place is located in the forestry land that the State has assigned to the people to manage and plant forests; and this land is only about 2km away from the Poong village residential area and National Highway 48C.
Furthermore, the cutting down and opening of the route as mentioned above is large-scale and must take place over a long period of time; and to exploit and transport ore, the relevant subjects will have to use large specialized vehicles. If the local authorities perform their assigned duties properly, it will be easy to detect, prevent and handle subjects who illegally exploit minerals.
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| Near the area with illegal mining is a newly harvested acacia forest. Photo: NLTV |
It should be remembered that on March 27, 2017, the Provincial People's Committee issued a separate directive to strengthen state management of mineral resources in the province. That is Directive No. 04/CT-UBND.
The reason the Provincial People's Committee issued Directive No. 04/CT-CT is because illegal mining is still taking place in some localities, causing loss of mineral resources, budget loss, environmental destruction, causing resentment among the people and public opinion in general... And one of the reasons for this situation has been confirmed to be that the local government (district and commune levels) has not done a good job of state management, and even shows signs of laxity.
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| The area where mineral exploitation is taking place is only about 2km from the residential area of Poong village, Chau Hong commune. Photo: NLTV |
In Directive No. 04/CT-UBND, the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that it will review, clarify responsibilities and take disciplinary action against the heads of local authorities at district and commune levels if illegal mineral exploitation occurs in the area under its management.
At the same time, clearly define responsibilities:“In any area where illegal mineral activities have occurred for a long time, or where illegal mineral activities recur, the Chairman of the People's Committee at the lower level must take full responsibility before the Chairman of the People's Committee at the higher level and before the law for violations in state management of minerals in the area.”
Therefore, it is thought that the Quy Hop district government needs to urgently inspect and clarify the situation of illegal mineral exploitation in Chau Hong commune; thereby, seriously consider the state management responsibility role of this commune government!
