Restoring order in sand and gravel mining on rivers and estuaries.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of October 27th, the Government held an online conference on preventing violations of the law in the exploitation of sand and gravel on rivers and estuaries.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Phuc - Member of the Political Bureau, Deputy Prime Minister, and Head of the Steering Committee 138 - chaired the conference. Attending were Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai; representatives from ministries, central agencies, and 63 locations across the country.

The meeting in Nghe An province was chaired by Mr. Dinh Viet Hong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, with the participation of representatives from relevant departments and agencies.

Overview of the conference

According to the assessment of the Steering Committee 138/CP, in the past period, the work of preventing and combating violations of the law in sand and gravel mining activities on rivers and estuaries, with the active involvement of functional forces from ministries, central and local agencies, has curbed violations and gradually resolved the situation of sand and gravel mining, transportation, and trading on rivers and estuaries. Inspection and enforcement of violations in the field of sand and gravel mining on rivers by provinces and cities have been strengthened.

According to reports from 20 provinces and cities, in the four years since the implementation of Prime Minister's Directive No. 29, localities have detected and handled 1,892 violations in sand and gravel mining on rivers, imposing fines totaling 16 billion VND. The police force has detected and recorded 85,084 violations, issued warnings in 3,328 cases, and imposed fines in 83,248 cases, collecting nearly 122 billion VND. Simultaneously, they have launched special investigations and uncovered 22 criminal cases involving 65 individuals related to illegal sand and gravel mining and trading activities. This has significantly contributed to the implementation of legal regulations and the Prime Minister's directive on mineral resource management and environmental protection.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested clarification of the responsibilities of all levels, sectors, and localities for the violations of the law in the exploitation of sand and gravel on rivers and estuaries.

However, the situation regarding violations of the law in the exploitation, trading, and transportation of sand and gravel on rivers and estuaries remains very complex and has not been thoroughly addressed, especially in areas bordering administrative boundaries on rivers or where the boundaries between localities are not clearly defined. Particularly due to the large profits, those involved in this exploitation and trading sector employ various methods to evade law enforcement, such as: exploiting at night or near dawn, organizing lookouts to warn each other to avoid inspection by authorities, exploiting outside the permitted area, exceeding the permitted capacity; colluding with some state officials and civil servants, and fiercely resisting and obstructing inspections and arrests... In the first six months of 2015 alone, the waterway police force detected and penalized 386 violations, collecting over 5 billion VND for the state budget.

Lieutenant General Dang Van Hieu, Permanent Deputy Minister of Public Security, reported on the work of preventing and combating violations of the law in sand and gravel mining activities on rivers and estuaries.

Currently, some licensed units carrying out inland waterway and maritime channel dredging projects combined with sand extraction are showing signs of abusing their sand mining permits to operate outside designated areas, dredging maritime channels and encroaching deep into inland waterways and ports... causing negative impacts on the environment, landslides, erosion, and threatening the safety of river and sea dikes. State management in sand and gravel exploration and exploitation activities still has many shortcomings, especially in assessing mineral reserves and quality, and the coordination of state agencies and functional forces in inspection, crime prevention, and enforcement in this field...

Overview of the Nghe An bridgehead

In Nghe An province alone, authorities at all levels have shown concern, provided guidance, and implemented numerous solutions to combat violations of the law in sand and gravel mining activities on rivers and estuaries. The province has 62 licensed exploration areas, of which 41 are licensed for mining. In the first 10 months of 2015, the province handled 112 violations in sand and gravel mining and trading, imposing fines totaling 1.2 billion VND and confiscating 17 boats and ferries. However, due to high demand for construction materials, the situation regarding sand and gravel mining remains complex.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, delivered a speech at the conference.

Speaking at the conference, on behalf of the Provincial People's Committee, Comrade Dinh Viet Hong expressed Nghe An's determination to effectively manage the exploitation of sand and mineral resources in general, and gravel mining on rivers and estuaries in particular, in order to stabilize security and order and promote socio-economic development.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc directed that the causes be clearly identified, responsibilities be clarified; serious reviews be conducted, and supervision be strengthened at all levels, sectors, and localities where violations of the law occur in the exploitation of sand and gravel on rivers and estuaries. He also called for rectification and improvement of the capacity, qualifications, and ethical standards of officials in state management agencies and public service agencies related to the field of mineral resources. Strict action should be taken against cases of law violations in this field. From there, decisive and comprehensive solutions should be implemented to restore order in the exploitation of sand and gravel on rivers and estuaries.

Khanh Ly