Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued an Official Dispatch on preventing and combating violations of fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2024.

Illegal use of fireworks still occurs in many localities.

The dispatch clearly stated: After more than 03 months of implementing Plan No. 636/KH-UBND dated August 29, 2023 on preventing and combating violations related to fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2024.

People's Committees at all levels, provincial departments, branches, sectors and organizations have focused on implementing many activities to prevent and combat illegal production, trade, storage and use of fireworks and achieved some remarkable results; including arresting 52 cases, 63 criminals and violators of the law on fireworks, seizing more than 03 tons of various types of fireworks, and mobilizing the recovery of 50 kg of fireworks and fireworks powder.

However, through monitoring, there are still some localities that have not paid attention to and resolutely directed the work of preventing and combating violations related to fireworks; they still leave it to specialized forces, and have not regularly inspected and urged implementation; propaganda work and organization of signing commitments have not received due attention and are not very effective; mobilization and collection of fireworks are still limited.

In particular, the illegal use of fireworks still occurs frequently in some localities, especially during National Unity festivals and family weddings...

Strengthening prevention solutions

The Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024 is approaching, the crime situation and violations of the law on fireworks in the province are still potentially complicated, illegal storage of fireworks among the people is forecasted to be numerous, posing a high risk of fireworks being set off on New Year's Eve of the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024 on many routes and areas, especially key areas for fireworks being set off during the Lunar New Year, such as: Vinh City, Cua Lo Town, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Quynh Luu districts...

To strengthen the prevention and control of violations related to fireworks during the 2024 Lunar New Year, the Provincial People's Committee requests Directors of departments, Heads of provincial-level branches and sectors, Chairmen of People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to focus on seriously and resolutely directing the following contents:

- Continue to thoroughly organize, deploy, and seriously and comprehensively implement solutions and key tasks in Plan No. 636/KH-UBND dated August 29, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee on preventing and combating violations of fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2024.

- Focus on innovating content, diversifying forms and methods of propaganda, disseminating legal regulations on prohibiting the production, import, trade, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks and mobilizing people to voluntarily hand over fireworks... Including:

+ The Department of Information and Communications, the Provincial Radio and Television Station, and Nghe An Newspaper shall promote propaganda and dissemination of legal regulations on the prohibition of production, import, trade, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks; regularly publish news and articles reflecting and condemning violations of fireworks, praising the feats and achievements of the functional forces in detecting and arresting criminals and law violators related to fireworks, in conjunction with the work of mobilizing people to voluntarily hand over and collect fireworks.

+ The Department of Education and Training, universities, colleges, vocational high schools, high schools, junior high schools, and educational institutions in the area direct the organization of propaganda activities, dissemination of laws on banning fireworks to teachers, students, and students and sign a commitment not to violate the production, trading, transportation, storage, and illegal use of fireworks.

+ The Department of Home Affairs directed the Religious Affairs Committee to strengthen propaganda and mobilize dignitaries, officials, and followers to strictly comply with legal regulations on fireworks during the 2024 Lunar New Year, especially not to use illegal fireworks.

The Provincial People's Committee also requested the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Provincial Youth Union, Provincial Women's Union, Provincial Veterans Association, Provincial People's Police Veterans Association, Provincial Elderly Association, Provincial Farmers' Association, Provincial Labor Federation to proactively coordinate with relevant departments, branches, Party committees and local authorities to strongly launch the movement of All people protecting national security in association with actively participating in the work of preventing and combating widespread violations of firecrackers among cadres, members, union members and people. At the same time, there are forms of propaganda and mobilization of cadres, members, union members and families not to violate the law on firecrackers, actively mobilizing people to collect firecrackers.

The provincial police directed and coordinated with functional forces to work with organizations and businesses licensed to trade in fireworks produced by the Ministry of National Defense in the province to request a commitment to strictly comply with the provisions of the law on fireworks trading, not to speculate, hoard, or raise the price of fireworks for profiteering purposes; and to stick the Ministry of National Defense's fireworks labels on illegal fireworks for business purposes.

At the same time, strictly control the licensed fireworks selling points of the Ministry of National Defense in the province; proactively develop plans to strengthen forces for wards and communes in Vinh city to coordinate in ensuring security and order and firecracker prevention on New Year's Eve of the Lunar New Year 2024.

The Provincial People's Committee requests the functional forces (Provincial Police, Provincial Border Guard Command, Provincial Customs Department, Provincial Market Management Department, People's Committees of districts, cities and towns) to focus on directing and strengthening solutions to fight and arrest networks, groups, and subjects illegally producing, trading, transporting, storing, and using fireworks, and successfully completing the set targets.

Establishpatrol and check working group in key areas

In Official Dispatch No. 40, the Provincial People's Committee also requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to reassess the situation, results, shortcomings and limitations in directing and organizing the implementation of firecracker prevention and control solutions in the area to focus on drastic solutions, especially on New Year's Eve 2024. The focus is on:

+ Direct the established Fireworks Prevention and Control Working Groups of the District People's Committee to promote the implementation of assigned tasks.

+ Establish working groups to work with religious establishments in the management area to request dignitaries and officials to propagate and mobilize religious followers to strictly comply with legal regulations on fireworks during the 2024 Lunar New Year, especially not to use or store illegal fireworks.

+ Direct the inter-sectoral delegations at the commune level to continue to strengthen inspection, propaganda, and mobilization to collect fireworks and firecrackers in communes, wards, and towns with high potential risks of fireworks violations.

+ Direct communes, wards and towns to establish patrol working groups to ensure security and order and prevent fireworks on New Year's Eve, ensuring that each commune, ward and town must have at least 01 working group; key communes, wards and towns where fireworks often occur must arrange at least 02 working groups, each group must have at least 10 people.(including the communal police force, communal militia, civil defense force, mass organizations tasked with ensuring security and order at the grassroots level...) to carry out patrol work (and simultaneously go to each house of key subjects to meet, propagate, and remind), promptly detect, prevent, arrest, and handle crimes and violations of the law, especially violations related to fireworks.

+ Direct communes, wards and towns to increase propaganda through grassroots loudspeaker systems,Establish firecracker prevention and control working groups in hamlets to review and identify households and individuals with conditions, capabilities, and suspicions of firecracker violations; promptly take measures to propagate, inspect, mobilize the collection of firecrackers, and organize the signing of commitments not to violate firecracker regulations.

+ Clearly assign tasks and responsibilities to leaders and managers in managing the assigned areas and fields and have sanctions to handle responsibilities in emulation and reward work for groups and individuals in advising, directing and implementing solutions to prevent and combat fireworks in the assigned areas and fields.

The telegram clearly stated: Leaders of the People's Committees at district and commune levels who allow the widespread burning of firecrackers in the area on New Year's Eve must be responsible before the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the District People's Committee.