Bac Ninh: Removing the "bottleneck" of land shortage for construction site leveling.

BAC NINH - Bac Ninh is accelerating investment in transportation infrastructure, residential areas, and urban areas to promote socio-economic development. However, many key projects lack land for leveling, affecting construction activities and risking delays. In response to this situation, the Provincial People's Committee has directed relevant departments to implement various solutions to ensure a legal and stable supply of construction materials for these projects.

Báo Bắc Ninh•05/09/2025

Many projects are waiting for leveling materials.

The construction of a new connecting road, from Provincial Road 292 through An Ha Industrial Park, Tien Luc commune to the Northeast Ring Road, Bac Giang ward, is a key transportation project currently under construction. This road is 15.3 km long, 11 m wide, and passes through the communes of Kep, Lang Giang, Tien Luc, and My Thai; with a total investment of nearly 410 billion VND from the state budget. According to the plan, the project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. These days, more than 30 engineers and workers are on the construction site working on the road and canal overpass sections, but the embankment work has been temporarily halted due to a shortage of fill material.

Anh Hien Trading and Services Limited Company has been granted an increase in its earthworks excavation capacity.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Son, the site's technical officer, stated: "According to calculations, the project requires 85,000 ^cubic meters of soil for road embankment. Currently, the contractor has only purchased 30,000 ^cubic meters of soil; the remaining amount is lacking due to the limited number of quarry sites in the area. If this situation continues, it could lead to delays and make it difficult to meet the deadline."

Similarly, the Ring Road 4 - Capital Region project, the 35.3 km section through Bac Ninh province, passing through Thuan Thanh and Que Vo wards and Gia Binh commune, with an allocated capital of nearly 5,200 billion VND, is currently facing difficulties with land for leveling. According to the contractor's representative, packages 14, 15, and 16 of the project have been simultaneously implemented, achieving nearly 40% of the total construction value. Box culverts, overpasses, and pedestrian underpasses are under construction; however, the roadbed requires a large amount of land for leveling, but there is a shortage of supply because Bac Ninh province (formerly) lacked soil quarries, while the cost of transporting soil from other provinces is too high, making it difficult for the contractor to secure the necessary materials.

Not only transportation projects, but also the Tan Chung village residential area project in Le Vien commune, covering 4 hectares, which started in April this year, has been temporarily halted due to a lack of fill soil, with a shortage of over 54,000 ^cubic meters. Similarly, the project to renovate and build a new concrete road from Tuan Dao commune to Deo Gia commune, 3.3 km long, which started in October 2023, is also behind schedule due to a shortage of tens of thousands of ^cubic meters of fill soil. According to preliminary statistics from relevant agencies, the entire province currently has about 20 transportation infrastructure and residential area projects lacking hundreds of thousands of ^cubic meters of fill soil.

Don't let construction projects wait for land to be cleared.

The main reason for this situation is the limited supply of fill soil in the province. According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province currently has 33 licensed mines with valid operating licenses, totaling over 40 million ^m³ of reserves and an extraction capacity of over 7.9 million ^m³ /year. Of these, only 20 mines are operational, with an permitted extraction capacity of nearly 3.7 million ^m³ /year. The remaining mines are temporarily suspended due to the inability to lease land. The province also has 165 mines in the planning stage that have not yet been granted licenses.

On July 25, 2025, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 686/UBND-KTN focusing on resolving obstacles in the licensing and exploitation of mineral resources used as common construction materials (soil, stone, sand, gravel). This document demonstrates the province's determination to address the "bottleneck" in land leveling to ensure the progress of key infrastructure projects.

The shortage of fill soil can lead to delays in the construction of many key projects, increased investment costs, and negatively impact the overall progress of infrastructure development plans, investment attraction goals, and economic development of the province. In response to this situation, the Provincial People's Committee has directed relevant departments and localities to implement comprehensive solutions to ensure the supply of materials. Specifically, on July 25, 2025, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 686/UBND-KTN focusing on resolving obstacles related to the licensing and exploitation of mineral resources for common construction materials (soil, stone, sand, gravel). This document demonstrates the province's determination to address the "bottleneck" of fill soil, aiming to ensure the progress of key infrastructure projects.

Accordingly, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Department of Finance to focus on resolving obstacles in approving investment policies for land leveling projects; to advise the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to report and request the competent authority to consider adjusting and supplementing the Bac Ninh Provincial Planning according to regulations. The Department of Agriculture and Environment is to advise the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee on granting and adjusting the content of mining licenses for land leveling, sand and gravel mines to ensure compliance with regulations; and to implement the plan for auctioning the right to exploit mineral resources for common construction materials...

According to Mr. Ngo Tri Dung, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Minerals (Department of Agriculture and Environment), to increase the supply of fill soil, based on reviews and reports from relevant agencies, in mid-July, the Provincial People's Committee allowed the adjustment of the mineral exploitation capacity according to the license issued in 2024 for Anh Hien Trading and Service Co., Ltd., Kep commune, from 300,000 ^m³ /year to over 736,000 ^m³ /year. At the same time, the province allowed Hoang Co Co., Ltd., Luc Nam commune, to explore and upgrade reserves, adjusting the soil exploitation capacity in the Cua Khuon slope area, Quynh Ca village, Nghia Phuong commune, from 150,000 ^m³ to 360,000 ^m³ /year.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment decided to recognize the mineral reserves in the exploration report and upgrade the reserves of fill soil at several mining sites in Lien Chung and Minh Duc communes as a basis for preparing documents to adjust licenses, designs, and extend mining periods. The Department is coordinating with the Department of Finance to guide businesses in adjusting licenses to increase mining capacity; and advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue several new mining licenses, to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

In parallel with the above solution, to facilitate businesses, according to Official Letter No. 686, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee agreed in principle to allow the implementation of several solutions to facilitate businesses. Accordingly, quarries for leveling soil, sand, and gravel that were granted mining licenses before July 1, 2025 (through non-auction methods in the former Bac Giang province) if still valid, can supply resources to projects using state budget funds (transportation and irrigation projects), urgent public investment projects, and projects under national target programs in Bac Ninh province without needing to adjust or supplement the license. The province also agreed in principle to remove obstacles related to land use in leveling soil mining activities, in the direction of: Not requiring procedures for land reclamation, land use conversion, or land leasing. However, the quarry owner must have a civil agreement with the families and individuals who have land use rights in the project area for the duration of the license…

With the decisive leadership of the province and the coordinated efforts of various sectors, localities, and businesses, it is believed that the "bottleneck" of land shortage for leveling will soon be resolved, creating favorable conditions for the rapid completion of key projects, bringing practical benefits to the people and contributing to socio-economic development.

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