Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee inspected mineral exploitation activities in Hoang Mai town

In the morning, the delegation inspected the quarry of Hoang Mai Stone Enterprise, under the Vietnam Railway Union; the quarry of Hoang Mai Cement Factory; the quarry of Nghi Son Cement Company. The delegation also inspected the site clearance at the Fashion Design Center Project, product distribution development and garment production in Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town, invested by Vietsun Hoang Mai Investment Company Limited; inspected some land clearance quarries in the area...

After the field inspection, the working group had a meeting with the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town and representatives of a number of businesses located in the area to listen to recommendations and proposals related to mineral activities.

According to the report of the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town, there are currently 19 licensed mining areas in the town and 2 projects approved by the Provincial People's Committee for mineral recovery. Of which, 7 mines are licensed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; 12 mines are licensed for exploitation by the Provincial People's Committee. However, in recent years, agencies, departments and branches have also inspected and discovered some problems at exploited mines, such as: Mining is not in accordance with design documents, at the mines there are some dangerous hanging rock outcrops; some units have carried out mining within the land lease scope, however, the construction of works such as offices, operating houses, material staging areas, etc. has not had land lease procedures according to regulations; some mines still emit dust into the environment during the exploitation and transportation process...

Specifically, in 2021, Hoang Mai Town Police drew up a record of administrative violations and proposed that Nghe An Provincial People's Committee fine Mr. Nguyen Canh Ngoc, in Block 13, Quynh Xuan Ward, while leveling the ground for the construction project of Dong A Decal Ha Noi Co. Ltd. Printing and Embroidery Factory, transported a certain amount of excess soil and rock to sell as filling materials without permission from competent authorities.

On August 12, 2022, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town issued Decision No. 1051/QD-UBND on the establishment of an Inspection Team to inspect compliance with the law in mineral exploitation activities of 7 companies exploiting minerals in the area..During the inspection, 2 units were found to have committed administrative violations in the field of minerals. The dossier was completed and the Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued a Decision to impose an administrative penalty on Long Thanh Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company with an amount of 740 million VND; the Chairman of the Town People's Committee issued a Decision to impose an administrative penalty on Hung Thanh Transport and Trading Joint Stock Company with an amount of 7 million VND...

At the meeting, the delegation also heard the proposal of Hoang Thinh Dat Joint Stock Company (Investor of Hoang Mai I and II Industrial Parks), related to the current issue around Hoang Mai I Industrial Park, there are a number of active stone quarries, using blasting to cause strong vibrations and create a lot of fine dust affecting the production conditions of factories in the Industrial Park, especially the factories all use high technology, have strict requirements on the environment as well as absolute stability and flatness of the factory and equipment during operation.

In addition, in Hoang Mai I Industrial Park, there are also some quarries that are too close to the production area, which during the exploitation process has created vibrations and dust, affecting the production process of enterprises in the industrial park. Therefore, the representative of Hoang Thinh Dat Joint Stock Company proposed to the Provincial People's Committee and agencies, departments and branches to review and re-evaluate the reserves of the exploited areas, and at the same time consider not extending the exploitation license for some quarries that are about to expire; stop the operation of some quarries or not put some quarries into exploitation, to avoid affecting the operation of the industrial park...

Speaking at the meeting, representatives of several relevant departments and sectors also said that it is necessary to consider the recommendations from Hoang Thinh Dat Joint Stock Company, because most of the mining sites have been licensed for a long time and are almost expired, while currently, investment attraction is mainly focused on attracting clean production enterprises with modern technology. If not carefully considered, it will affect investment attraction.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van De - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested departments, branches and Hoang Mai town to review the procedures for licensed but unexploited mines. Regarding the recommendations of Vietsun Hoang Mai Investment Company Limited - Investor of the Fashion Design Center Project, Product Distribution Development and Garment Production in Quynh Xuan Ward, Hoang Mai Town, requesting permission to blast to level the ground, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested to ensure the procedures and processes in accordance with the provisions of law.

Regarding the issue of mineral exploitation, comrade Nguyen Van De also requested local authorities and departments and branches to consider ensuring compliance with regulations. In particular, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town also needs to consider, review, and manage mineral planning, avoiding widespread licensing, exceeding the actual needs of the market, leading to imbalance. The appraisal of mining plans also needs to be carried out carefully, avoiding exploitation beyond the permitted level, affecting the environment and the lives of people in the surrounding area.