Bac Giang: Enterprises arbitrarily collect land, expand sand and gravel mining

Licensed to exploit river sand and gravel, Bac Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company JSC has arbitrarily bought agricultural land from local people to expand the exploitation area.

River banks dug up due to sand mining

Recently, Giao thong Newspaper reporters received feedback from people in Dong Tam commune, Yen The district, Bac Giang about the fact that Bac Trung Nam JSC Construction Investment Joint Stock Company (Bac Trung Nam Company) had agreed to buy agricultural land at high prices to exploit sand and gravel in the area. This caused many areas of agricultural land of the people to be eroded.

Many riverbanks have been eroded due to sand and gravel mining in Yen The, Bac Giang.

"My family has a piece of farmland near the Soi River. Bac Trung Nam Company has come many times to ask to buy it to exploit sand, but we did not agree. However, this company has collected land from neighboring households, expanded the riverbed close to the plot of land, causing my family's land to be eroded into the river at any time," said Mr. D, a resident of Dong Tam commune.

Some residents also said that Bac Trung Nam Company has transferred the license to exploit riverbed minerals from Dai Hoang Duong Company Limited in Dong Tam commune and some neighboring communes. The exploitation area is 14.6 hectares; the duration is 8 years (from 2018 - 2026).

However, when receiving the transfer, Bac Trung Nam Company did not directly organize the exploitation but sold it to many other units in the name of contributing shares, contracting, joint venture, cooperation, hiring personnel, machinery, etc.

In particular, after many years of exploitation, the Soi River has almost run out of sand and gravel, so these contractors and the Bac Trung Nam Company have bought up riverside land to expand the exploitation area beyond the licensed mine boundary.

Transfer to overcome landslides?

Giao thong Newspaper reporters recorded that in Dong Tam commune, a section of the Soi River several kilometers long has been hollowed out, deeply gouged in many sections, with landslides and the riverbed has widened by dozens of meters compared to before.

Close-up of the mining site causing riverbank erosion in Yen The, Bac Giang.

There are still many large capacity suction ships and excavators on the riverbed to exploit sand and gravel. In order to exploit sand, relevant units even built dams to block the Soi River to raise the water level.

Speaking to reporters at the construction site, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hanh, manager of Bac Trung Nam Company, said that the entire area of ​​land being exploited along the riverbank has been compensated and transferred to the people for sand and gravel exploitation. However, he said he did not know the area, price and legal procedures. "Only the company director knows this," Mr. Hanh said.

Speaking to Giao Thong Newspaper reporters over the phone, Mr. Nguyen Van Tu, Director of Bac Trung Nam Company confirmed that the unit is exploiting sand and gravel from the riverbed in Yen The district.

The landslides on the riverbank were caused by the recent storm No. 3, the weak ground caused the riverbank to collapse in many places. After that, the company bought this bank from the people to fix the landslide, without having to accept the transfer to organize sand and gravel mining.

Will be dealt with seriously

Mr. Vu Trong Dung, Chairman of Dong Tam Commune People's Committee, informed that he had received many reports from local people about this company buying agricultural land for sand mining. However, because the parties only made civil agreements and did not follow the prescribed procedures, the local authorities did not know the specific quantity and area.

Sand dredger of Bac Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company JSC anchored on Soi River.

A leader of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen The district said: "More than a week ago, based on the people's feedback, the unit coordinated with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bac Giang province to inspect and discovered that Bac Trung Nam Company had exploited outside the boundary of the mine, causing many riverbank locations to be eroded. Currently, this unit is calculating the specific area, volume and value of the violating minerals to strictly handle them according to regulations."

According to the leader of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bac Giang, the violations of Bac Trung Nam Company are quite complicated and systematic, so in addition to administrative handling according to regulations, the People's Committee of Yen The district has also assigned the Yen The district police to put this enterprise under management, closely monitor, and immediately correct any violations.

More than 2 years ago, Yen The District Police coordinated with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen The District to inspect the dredging activities of the Soi River, the section passing through Tan Soi and Tan Ky villages, Dong Tam commune, and discovered that Bac Trung Nam Company was illegally digging and taking soil.

The authorities drew up a record of administrative violations and advised the Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen The district to issue a decision to impose a fine of VND90 million for illegal mineral exploitation; forcing the enterprise to pay VND490 million, equivalent to the value of the means illegally used to commit the administrative violation; returning nearly VND18 million, equivalent to the value of the physical evidence of minerals obtained from the administrative violation; and forcing the implementation of solutions to improve and restore the environment.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/bac-giangdoanh-nghiep-tu-y-gom-dat-mo-rong-khai-thac-cat-soi-192241209212632316.htm