Many tombs, hundreds of square meters in size, "sprout" up in the middle of land planted with perennial trees.
In the middle of the perennial crop land managed by the Dong Loc Commune People's Committee, numerous mausoleums, some covering hundreds of square meters, have unexpectedly appeared. Notably, one structure, larger than 330m², has only had its foundation built to occupy the land; no graves have been relocated inside.
In July, residents of Vinh Trinh hamlet (Dong Loc commune) were surprised to discover several large-scale tombs appearing on agricultural land bordering Cua Lo ward and Dong Loc commune (formerly Nghi Thach commune).
According to reporters, at least three mausoleums have been built on agricultural land. “They are all located on land used for perennial crops; there were never any graves here before, only acacia forests. But now, suddenly, these three mausoleums have sprung up, covering such a large area that the locals are very upset,” said a resident of Vinh Trinh hamlet.
Among the structures, the most notable is the plot of land that has already had its foundation built around it, with an area of approximately...336m²It is 14 meters wide and 24 meters long. The inside has been filled with soil, but no graves have been placed there yet.
The second structure is a mausoleum complex spanning over 190 square meters.2With a frontage of 9.5m and a length of 20m, the entire mausoleum complex has just been surrounded by a massive wall of blue stone. Within this large compound, only one tomb has recently been moved. The remaining structure is a burial area with a concrete foundation, covering nearly 120m², including two tombs clad in white stone.
Mr. Phung Ngoc Tu, Vice Chairman of the Dong Loc Commune People's Committee, said that after receiving complaints, the commune conducted an on-site inspection. The inspection results showed that all the structures were built on land designated for perennial crops. “The unauthorized construction of these structures shows signs of land encroachment and improper land use, violating the Land Law. This act will be strictly dealt with according to the law. However, to date, the commune has not yet identified the owners of these structures,” Mr. Tu said.
The encroachment on land for the construction of burial grounds has become widespread recently. Also in the former Nghi Thach commune, Dong Loc commune recently encouraged residents to voluntarily dismantle structures after discovering another burial ground illegally constructed on an area of up to 120 square meters.2.
According to Mr. Tú, this area is a remote and isolated border region, making it difficult to detect illegal construction. Currently, the Đông Lộc Commune People's Committee has issued a widespread notice to residents in the area and surrounding regions, requesting that the owners of the constructions come directly to the Commune People's Committee before July 23rd. If, after this deadline, the owners of the constructions still cannot be identified, the Commune People's Committee will proceed with handling the matter according to regulations.
Not only in Dong Loc commune, but recently many localities in Nghe An province have also discovered cases of illegal construction of mausoleum grounds, encroachment on public land, or misuse of land. In Vinh Loc ward, the local authorities recently recorded an illegal construction of a mausoleum grounds at Mu Mu cemetery, Duc Tho block (formerly Hung Loc ward).
Accordingly, a household in the area had constructed a concrete foundation with an area of 48.8m² on cemetery land. At the time of inspection, the homeowner could not present any relevant legal documents. The authorities drew up a violation report and organized the demolition of the illegal structure.
According to the leaders of Vinh Loc Ward People's Committee, this move aims to strengthen discipline in state management of land, ensuring land use is in accordance with planning and legal regulations. In the coming time, Vinh Loc Ward will continue to strengthen inspection and supervision, promptly detect and strictly handle violations; resolutely dismantle and restore the original state in accordance with the law. For violations, the ward will impose administrative penalties and organize forced demolition immediately upon detection, preventing delays and the emergence of new violations, contributing to restoring discipline in land management, construction order, and burial practices in the area.
Previously, in Hung Nguyen commune, the local authorities also issued administrative violation fines and organized the demolition of dozens of mausoleum structures built encroaching on agricultural land, with a total area of thousands of square meters.
According to regulations, land designated for perennial crops cannot be arbitrarily converted to cemeteries or for construction without permission from the competent authority. The construction of large-scale mausoleum complexes also carries the risk of land encroachment, making future management difficult.
