The Head of Hanoi Forest Protection Department was saddened by the scene of Soc Son forest being "carved up"

On August 11th, Mr. Le Minh Tuyen, Head of the Forest Protection Department ( Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), spoke with the press about the illegal construction on protected forest land in Soc Son district that has caused public uproar in recent days.

Mr. Tuyen said that on August 9th, the Sub-Department had submitted a report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the situation of illegal land leveling and construction on forest land in Soc Son district.

Mr. Le Minh Tuyen, Head of Hanoi Forest Protection Department. (Photo: Quang Phong)

Accordingly, from the beginning of 2023 to the present, 59 cases of encroachment on forest land have occurred in Soc Son district, including 36 cases of illegal construction; 21 cases of land leveling and 2 cases of illegal exploitation of forest land.

“Most of the violations occurred on vacant land, without any acts of cutting down trees or exploiting forest trees. Therefore, Forest Protection Department No. 4 coordinated with the commune authorities to draw up a record requesting the immediate cessation of illegal leveling and construction and promptly report to the Soc Son District People's Committee to direct the relevant agencies and the commune People's Committees to handle the matter according to their authority,” said Mr. Tuyen.

Mr. Tuyen said that this is not the first time the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested Soc Son district to handle violations related to forestry land. Since the beginning of 2023, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has sent 6 documents requesting the People's Committee of Soc Son district to direct the district's functional agencies and the People's Committees of communes to thoroughly handle violations.

A spacious villa is located next to the landslide area in Ban Tien hamlet.

Mr. Tuyen stated that, according to Decision 2100 issued in 2008 by the Hanoi People's Committee, the total forest land in Soc Son is 4,445 hectares. Of this, Soc Son district manages approximately 2,300 hectares, while the remaining area is managed by the Management Board of Protective and Special-Use Forests (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development).

Later, the Hanoi People's Committee decided to transfer the entire area of forest and forestry land to the Management Board of Protective and Special-Use Forests. In the period of 2020-2021, Soc Son district only handed over about 1,150 hectares in the first phase, leaving about 1,200 hectares yet to be handed over.

"The Hanoi People's Committee has instructed Soc Son district to resolve all outstanding issues regarding land, issuance of land use right certificates, and construction order... before handing over the remaining 1,200 hectares of forest," Mr. Tuyen said, explaining the reason why Soc Son district has not yet handed over the remaining 1,200 hectares.

According to Mr. Le Minh Tuyen, Dong Do lake area is a place where illegal construction on forestry land is quite serious.

According to Mr. Tuyen, Dong Do Lake area (Minh Tri commune) and Ban Tien Lake (Minh Phu commune) are places where illegal construction activities on forestry land are taking place quite seriously. Most of this land area is under the management of the district and has not been handed over to the Management Board of protective forests and special-use forests.

"Therefore, the local authorities need to expedite the review, demarcation of boundaries, and decisively handle cases of illegal construction in accordance with regulations. If this key issue is not resolved, the encroachment on Soc Son forest will continue indefinitely," Mr. Tuyen said.

Following the landslide that buried 13 cars on the morning of August 4th in Ban Tien hamlet (Minh Phu commune, Soc Son district), a series of homestays and permanent structures built illegally on forest land in the area were exposed.

Upon investigation, it was found that all these constructions were built in 2021 and 2022, just two years after the Hanoi City People's Committee issued its inspection report on the management and use of forest land in Soc Son district.

The forest around Dong Do lake is forming business and service areas.

Similarly, in the Dong Do lake area (Minh Tri commune, Soc Son), the illegal construction on protective forest land and special-use forest land is also serious. In just two years 2022 and 2023, Minh Tri commune had to forcibly demolish nearly 30 solid constructions and demolish 268 small huts in the forest in the area around Dong Do lake.

According to a report from Soc Son district, from the beginning of 2023 to the present, there have been 187 illegal constructions on protected forest land. In 2022, 245 cases were processed, while in 2021, more than 300 cases were handled…

Previously, in March 2019, the Hanoi City Inspectorate issued two inspection reports on forest land in Soc Son. These reports clearly stated nearly 3,000 cases of forest land violations. In just two communes, Minh Phu and Minh Tri, as well as the areas surrounding seven large lakes within the forest planning zone, there were 797 illegal constructions.

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