Bauxite "gold mine"
According to the Mineral Planning 2021-2030, vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 866 dated July 18, 2023 (Plan 866), Dak Nong ranks first in the country with a total bauxite ore reserve of nearly 1.8 billion tons (accounting for more than 57% of the country's reserves).
The area of bauxite planned for exploration and exploitation in Dak Nong during this period is about 179.6 thousand hectares, accounting for 27% of the province's natural area.
Possessing the largest bauxite reserves in the country, Dak Nong is expected to become the national bauxite - alumina - aluminum industrial center.
Stalled due to bauxite planning
However, the bauxite planning covers the area of 5/8 districts and cities, even overlapping about 28,000 hectares of forest and many other social infrastructure works, causing many obstacles in socio-economic development in Dak Nong province.
Entering the 2024-2025 school year, in Dak Glong district, the lack of school facilities has caused many schools in the area to face many difficulties in arranging teaching for students. However, this locality cannot invest in building more classrooms to serve the teaching work for students because of bauxite planning.
Located in a remote area of Quang Son commune, Ly Tu Trong Primary School in Dak S'Nao village has 98% of its students being ethnic minorities. The school currently has 545 students at all levels in 17 classes, but currently has only 12 classrooms, so the school's Board of Directors and teachers here have to arrange shifts to ensure teaching and learning. Some classes even have to temporarily study at the village's kindergarten.
Teacher Pham Ngoc Quang, Vice Principal of Ly Tu Trong Primary School, said that despite the difficulties, the project to build 12 more classrooms and a multi-purpose building for the school is currently stalled due to bauxite planning issues.
Having investment capital but not being able to implement construction works and projects, especially educational works, is a sad reality that is happening not only in Quang Son commune but also in other localities of Dak Glong district.
According to Decision 866 of the Prime Minister approving the mineral planning with a vision to 2050, many areas of localities in Dak Glong district are located in the bauxite planning area. Therefore, this locality faces many difficulties in implementing public investment programs, projects, and national target programs.
According to the report of Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee, in 2024, 15/36 non-budget investment project dossiers were of interest to investors. However, the province has not yet approved the investment policy for many reasons, including the fact that the proposed location of the project overlaps with the Planning for exploration, exploitation, processing and use of bauxite minerals.
Not only attracting non-budgetary investment, a series of public investment projects have also been stalled due to bauxite. According to the Department of Planning and Investment of Dak Nong province, the province has 37 key projects affected by bauxite overlap.
In particular, the Dao Nghia - Quang Khe road project has a total investment of 830 billion VND, but the disbursement is very low due to the bauxite planning problem. In 2024 alone, the project was allocated 150 billion VND but had to return 147 billion VND to the Central Government because it could not be disbursed.
There have even been key projects in the province that have been delayed in their completion date. That is the Gia Nghia City Central Square Project with a total investment of 400 billion VND, which started on December 27, 2022, and is expected to be completed and handed over by the end of 2023 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dak Nong province. However, due to problems with planning for a land mine located in the bauxite planning area, the project lacked thousands of cubic meters of fill, causing the project to fall behind schedule and has not been completed yet.
By the end of 2024, the Gia Nghia City Central Square Project (Dak Nong) had not resolved the problem of land filling, leading to the transfer of 19 billion VND of investment capital.
According to Mr. Ho Van Muoi, Chairman of Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee, bauxite is different from gold and diamonds, but the provisions of the Mineral Law do not separate these minerals. In addition, overlapping bauxite planning has stalled all investment projects in the province, including three national target programs. The province is working very hard with central ministries and branches to remove difficulties.
Hope to soon remove difficulties in bauxite planning.
According to the leader of Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee, bauxite planning has been overlapping, causing many difficulties for the province in the process of socio-economic development. Because bauxite planning covers the areas of districts and cities. Many works and projects are stuck with bauxite, cannot be implemented, affecting local socio-economic development.
Currently in Dak Nong province, investment in construction works, projects, requesting survey policies, and investing in projects are all stuck due to bauxite. This has been directed by the Government and the Prime Minister, assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to preside over, coordinate, advise, and resolve, but has not been resolved to the final result. Therefore, the province does not have enough legal basis to guide investors in implementing projects.
Therefore, Dak Nong province hopes that in the coming time, the Central Government will have solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles to implement projects that bring "double" benefits to Dak Nong.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/dak-nong-quy-hoach-bo-xit-anh-huong-den-phat-trien-kinh-te-xa-hoi.html
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