Bac Giang: Businesses arbitrarily acquire land and expand sand and gravel mining.

Despite being licensed to extract sand and gravel from riverbeds, Bac Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company has arbitrarily purchased agricultural land from local residents to expand its mining operations.

The riverbanks are being dug up due to sand mining.

Recently, reporters from Giao Thong Newspaper received complaints from residents of Dong Tam commune, Yen The district, Bac Giang province, regarding the Bac Trung Nam Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company (Bac Trung Nam Company) agreeing to purchase agricultural land at high prices for sand and gravel mining in the area. This has caused landslides affecting many agricultural land plots belonging to local residents.

Many sections of the riverbank in Yen The, Bac Giang, have been severely eroded due to sand and gravel mining.

"My family owns farmland near the Soi River. The Bac Trung Nam Company has repeatedly approached us to inquire about purchasing it for sand mining, but we refused. However, the company has acquired land from neighboring households, expanding the riverbed right up to our plot, causing our land to be eroded into the river at any time," shared Mr. D, a resident of Dong Tam commune.

Some residents also stated that Bac Trung Nam Company had acquired the riverbed mineral exploitation license from Dai Hoang Duong Co., Ltd. in Dong Tam commune and some neighboring communes. The exploitation area is 14.6 hectares; the duration is 8 years (from 2018 to 2026).

However, upon acquiring the land, Bac Trung Nam Company did not directly organize the exploitation itself, but instead resold it to various other entities under the guise of contributing shares, contracting, joint ventures, partnerships, hiring personnel, machinery, etc.

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

Transferring land ownership to address landslides?

Reporters from Giao Thong Newspaper observed in Dong Tam commune that a section of the Soi River, several kilometers long, has been extensively eroded and deeply excavated in many places, resulting in jagged landslides and widening of the riverbed by tens of meters compared to before.

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

Many large-capacity dredging vessels and excavators are still operating on the riverbed, serving the purpose of extracting sand and gravel. Furthermore, to facilitate sand extraction, the relevant units have even built dams to raise the water level in the Soi River.

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

Speaking to a reporter from Giao Thong Newspaper by phone, Mr. Nguyen Van Tu, Director of Bac Trung Nam Company, confirmed that the company currently operates a riverbed sand and gravel mining operation in Yen The district.

The riverbank erosion points mentioned above were caused by the impact of the recent Typhoon No. 3, which weakened the soil and led to widespread riverbank collapse. Subsequently, the company purchased these riverbank areas from the local people to address the erosion, rather than acquiring them through a transfer for sand and gravel mining operations.

They will be dealt with severely.

Mr. Vu Trong Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Tam commune, informed that they have received numerous complaints from residents about this company buying up agricultural land for sand mining. However, because the parties only reached a private civil agreement and did not follow the prescribed procedures, the local authorities do not know the specific quantity or area of ​​land involved.

A sand dredging vessel belonging to Bac Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company is anchored in the Soi River.

A leader from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen The district said: "More than a week ago, based on complaints from residents, the unit coordinated with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bac Giang province to inspect and discover that Bac Trung Nam Company was exploiting resources outside the boundaries of its granted mining permit, causing erosion in many areas of the riverbank. Currently, the unit is calculating the area, volume, and value of the illegally extracted minerals to take strict action according to regulations."

According to the leader of the Bac Giang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the violations of Bac Trung Nam Company are quite complex and systematic, so in addition to administrative handling according to regulations, the Yen The District People's Committee has also assigned the Yen The District Police to place this enterprise under close management and monitoring, and to immediately rectify any violations.

More than two years ago, the Yen The District Police, in coordination with the Yen The District Department of Natural Resources and Environment, conducted an inspection of dredging activities in the Soi River section passing through Tan Soi and Tan Ky villages, Dong Tam commune, and discovered that Bac Trung Nam Company was illegally excavating and taking soil.

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 imposing a fine of 90 million VND for illegal mineral exploitation; requiring the enterprise to pay 490 million VND, equivalent to the value of the vehicles used illegally to commit the administrative violation; return nearly 18 million VND, equivalent to the value of the confiscated minerals obtained from the administrative violation; and require the implementation of environmental remediation and restoration measures.

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