Violations at Len Chua quarry: Province imposes fines, businesses ignore?

(Baonghean.vn) - The penalty decision of the Provincial People's Committee has been in place for more than 8 months, but the violations of the enterprise at Len Chua quarry (Hoang Mai town) have not been handled yet.

1.Violations in mineral exploitation activities at Len Chua quarry (Quynh Xuan Ward, Hoang Mai Town) were discovered and recorded by authorities at the end of 2016, and fined in early February 20117.

However, up to now, the violating enterprises have not strictly complied with the penalty decision, and have not yet remedied the consequences they caused. In fact, they have continuously repeated the violations and committed new violations!

The continuous recurrence of violations by enterprises (Thanh Xuan Company Limited, Xuan Hung Company Limited) at Len Chua quarry is still organizing mining outside the licensed scope, mining below cots 0; blasting causing negative impacts on people's houses; causing environmental pollution...

The new violation is the construction of a concrete mixing station system in the mine area (Xuan Hung Company Limited, Xuan Chung Company Limited) without permission from competent authorities.

The entire Len Chua quarry area is now dug deep into the ground, in some places up to tens of meters. Photo by Pham Bang

The repeated violations and new violations by businesses have made people living around Len Chua quarry angry. And, the authorities have to continue to inspect. The latest inspection, under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee in Official Dispatch No. 243/UBND-NC, was carried out on September 26, 2017.

Through inspection, it was determined that enterprises at Len Chua quarry have not implemented Decision No. 491/QD-UBND and Decision No. 492/QD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee Chairman issued since early February 2017.

Specifically, Xuan Hung Company Limited and Thanh Xuan Company Limited have not yet taken remedial measures (leveling and restoring the environment for the area that has been exploited beyond the permitted depth).

Xuan Hung Company Limited has invested in the construction, put into use and operated a concrete mixing station (the location of the concrete mixing station is partly located in the mine area licensed by the Provincial People's Committee to Xuan Hung Company Limited).

In addition, to the south of Len Chua mine area, Xuan Chung Company Limited (now Trung Son Company Limited) has been investing in the construction of a number of construction items to serve the construction of a concrete mixing station (including: level 4 house, surrounding wall, installation of 03 concrete mixing towers,...).

2.Handling of violations in the field of mineral resources is regulated in Decree No. 33/ND-CP of the Government. According to Decree No. 33, if there is a serious violation, exploiting outside the licensed mining area and volume, the violating organization or individual will be severely punished.

That is, in addition to being fined; the right to use the license for a limited period of time is also revoked; forced to renovate, level, and restore the environment of the illegally exploited area; confiscation of all illegally exploited minerals; and, forced to return the profits gained from the violation.

Along with sanctions for violations, the law also clearly stipulates the powers and responsibilities of relevant levels and functional branches in the management and protection of mineral resources.

A concrete mixing station built by a business without permission from the competent authority in the Len Chua quarry area. Photo by Pham Bang

To more specifically define responsibilities, in June 2017, the Provincial People's Committee issued a regulation on coordination in state management of mineral resources in the area. In this regulation, in addition to continuing to clarify the functions and powers of all levels and sectors according to the provisions of law, it also specifically emphasizes the responsibility before the Provincial People's Committee and before the law if violations occur.

3.According to the inspection team at the end of 2016, the area of ​​mineral exploitation outside the licensed scope of the two enterprises at Len Chua quarry is about 1 hectare; with a depth of 5 - 18m. Referring to these violations with the regulations in Decree 33, it is affirmed that they are very serious.

However, since February 2017, when the Provincial People's Committee issued the decision to sanction administrative violations, it has been 8 months, but businesses have not complied; not only that, they have also repeated violations and committed new violations. And the relevant departments and agencies have, time and again, carried out the inspection process, issued documents urging and reminding like a flashlight.

The repeated violations of enterprises, as reported by the working group performing the tasks assigned by the Provincial People's Committee in Official Dispatch No. 243/UBND-NC, had to be "even enterprises showing contempt for the law".

This makes people wonder, strange, not understanding why?

Nhat Lan