Nghe An: Reviewing and reclaiming barren land and land from slow-developing projects.

On the afternoon of December 31st, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment held a conference to summarize the achievements of 2019 and implement the plan for 2020. Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee – attended the conference. Photo: Mai Hoa

Inspectors dealt with 35 organizations for violations.

The activities of the Natural Resources and Environment sector in 2019 were comprehensively implemented across various areas of state management, including land, minerals, environmental protection, water resources, meteorology and hydrology, and climate change.

Notably, the Department has advised the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee on mechanisms, policies, and legal regulations in the field of natural resources and environment within their jurisdiction to strengthen and effectively implement management, resolve existing obstacles in practice, and create favorable conditions for the effective implementation of administrative reform and the promotion of investment attraction in the province.

Specifically, the department advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue 4 decisions related to land; advised the Provincial People's Committee to submit 6 resolutions on land and environmental protection to the Provincial People's Council; submitted to the Provincial People's Committee a Directive on strengthening the management of sand and gravel in the province; and issued the Land Price List for the province for the period 2020 - 2024.

Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Vo Duy Viet, affirmed the many activities and achievements of the sector in 2019. Photo: Mai Hoa

In parallel with the above tasks, the Department has also effectively implemented a number of provincial-issued projects and plans; focusing on Plan No. 99/KH-UBND, dated February 9, 2017, on implementing Resolution No. 08-NQ/TU dated December 8, 2017, of the Provincial Party Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership over environmental protection work in the province; the Project to improve land use efficiency in Nghe An province; and projects in the fields of environment, water resources, and meteorology and hydrology.

Proactively addressing difficulties and obstacles for local authorities, organizations, and individuals in the issuance of land use right certificates; and mineral resource management through the establishment of working groups to visit local areas; organizing meetings with 21 districts, cities, towns, and communes; and holding meetings with business associations in the province...

The department paid close attention to receiving citizens and resolving complaints, disputes, petitions, and feedback from organizations and individuals. During the year, the department received and processed 252 complaints, disputes, petitions, and feedback; of which, it conducted inspections, verifications, and recommended solutions to the Provincial People's Committee for all 68 cases.

During the year, the Department conducted 22 specialized inspections, detecting, correcting, and handling administrative violations by 35 organizations in the fields of land, water resources, environment, surveying, and mapping, with a total fine of over 800 million VND.

Land surveying for site clearance purposes. Photo: Mai Hoa

Review and reclaim areas of barren land and land from slow-developing projects.

In his directive speech at the conference, in addition to highly appreciating the results achieved by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in 2019, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu also pointed out some limitations, such as the failure to meet the set targets for issuing and renewing land use right certificates for households and individuals in some localities; the failure to address serious environmental pollution hotspots that are public interests and the implementation of some projects in the field of water resources, sea and islands according to plan; the recurrence of illegal sand and gravel mining in some localities; and the inefficiency of land use not commensurate with its potential and advantages.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also emphasized that 2020 is the final year of implementing the Resolutions of the Party Congress at all levels, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment needs to focus on effectively carrying out the assigned political tasks.

This includes focusing on reviewing policies and laws in the field of natural resources and environment to advise the Provincial People's Committee on amendments, supplements, and replacements, in order to promote and effectively implement administrative reform, attract investment, resolve obstacles arising from practice, create favorable conditions for economic sectors to access resource potential, and improve the land access index.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nghia Hieu requested that relevant departments review and reclaim abandoned land and land from slow-developing projects in accordance with the law. Photo: Mai Hoa

In addition, it is necessary to strengthen land management, overcome the waste of land resources, prevent land from being left fallow, and address land use for purposes other than intended; focus on reviewing and handling land for slow-moving projects; and rectify and strictly punish organizations and individuals involved in land allocation, land leasing, and land use conversion.

Continue to direct the effective implementation of environmental protection work, aiming to create a strong shift in the awareness and actions of all citizens regarding environmental protection; focus on handling environmentally polluting facilities and those with serious environmental pollution, and propose relocating production and business establishments with a high risk of pollution out of urban areas and residential zones.

Research, propose, and focus on implementing solutions to address climate change; promote administrative reform in the field of natural resources and environment...