Quang Ninh tightens management of mineral resources: Promoting

Mineral activities are increasingly stable, orderly and disciplined.
Putting mineral exploitation and processing activities into an increasingly orderly and disciplined manner, contributing to improving the effectiveness and efficiency in the management of mineral resources, especially coal resources, has always been identified by Quang Ninh province as one of the key and long-term tasks. In particular, it clearly defines the responsibilities of the heads of Party committees, authorities, police chiefs, secretaries, and heads of villages and areas if illegal coal and mineral exploitation occurs in the area.

In the roadmap to strive until the end of 2025, Quang Ninh province will stop mining and close all quarries for construction materials to restore the environment.

Mr. Pham Van Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Ninh province said: In recent times, the Department has actively advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue many documents in directing the management of coal resources and minerals, implementing the Planning, management, and use of land for mineral activities, land allocation, and land lease for mineral exploitation. Thereby, it has made an important contribution to socio- economic development, environmental protection, and towards green and sustainable growth.

Currently, in Ha Long City, 22/33 communes and wards have coal, sand, stone, clay and leveling soil mining activities. In recent times, Party committees, authorities, agencies and units from the city to the grassroots have focused on leading and directing the good management of coal and mineral resources; strictly inspecting and handling violations; contributing to improving the effectiveness of resource and mineral management. At the same time, the authorities of communes and wards have proactively and regularly coordinated with coal industry units to do a good job of protecting mine boundaries, ports, coal processing and consumption yards.

Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ha Long City Nguyen Thanh An said: In recent years, the city has issued many documents directing the management and inspection of the exploitation, transportation, and consumption of coal and other minerals, and perfecting the organization of functional forces to handle violations related to natural resources and minerals.

In the first 6 months of 2023 alone, the city conducted 401 inspections and patrols. Through inspections and controls, it was found that there was no illegal coal mining in the area. However, there were still activities of transporting, buying, selling, and gathering coal of illegal origin. The authorities arrested a total of 21 cases with 21 subjects illegally buying, selling, and transporting 145 tons of various types of coal, and imposed an administrative fine of 205 million VND.

With the drastic participation of the provincial authorities in directing, operating and managing, mineral management activities in the province are increasingly stable, orderly and disciplined, preventing illegal mineral exploitation in the area.

In the management and use of land for mineral activities, in the first 6 months of 2023, Quang Ninh leased land to 96 organizations with an area of 1,670.62 hectares, allocated land to 85 organizations with an area of 2,054.95 hectares, extended land use time for 78 organizations with an area of 1,286.5 hectares, and reclaimed land from 45 organizations with an area of 1,117.01 hectares. The provincial land valuation council approved specific land prices for 25 projects, issued land use right certificates to 39 new applications, and registered changes in land use rights to 212 certificates of organizations.

Synchronize management solutions

It can be said that the issuance of Resolution No. 10 dated September 26, 2022 of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership in resource management, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change response to ensure water security in the period of 2022 - 2030 has demonstrated Quang Ninh's determination in resource and environmental management towards sustainable development.

In particular, Resolution No. 10 has identified the use of mine waste rock and soil to replace traditional hill soil as an urgent requirement in implementing the circular economic model. From there, it solves the problem of the need for filling materials to serve economic development and preserve the natural landscape, ensure the environment during coal mining, and minimize the impact of mine waste dumps on people's lives in Quang Ninh province.

Sharing about the approach of Ha Long City, Mr. Nguyen Thanh An added: To improve the effectiveness of mineral resource management, the city has worked with coal industry units and a number of enterprises to develop plans and roadmaps to gradually reduce open-pit mining activities, moving towards completely ending the exploitation of certain types of minerals that have negative impacts on the environment, especially in some areas with advantages in developing key economic sectors such as tourism, industry, clean agriculture and high-quality agriculture.

Along with that, localities in Quang Ninh province have stepped up propaganda, regularly inspected, monitored, and grasped information related to the activities of mining, transportation, gathering, and trading of coal, sand, stone, gravel, clay, and leveling soil, and land exploitation and leveling activities in the area. At the same time, they have stepped up the implementation of solutions to improve the efficiency of management and protection of coal and mineral resources.

In addition, Quang Ninh province always identifies the fight against and prevention of illegal sand and gravel mining as a regular and long-term task. In particular, the province assigns functional forces to select complex areas, focus on directing and creating changes, especially promoting the role of the masses in the fight against illegal sand and gravel mining in the area. At the same time, implement measures to strictly manage sand and gravel yards, gathering and trading, and resolutely eliminate illegal sand and gravel trading yards.

With the drastic and active participation, up to now, Quang Ninh has no complicated points of illegal coal and mineral mining. The management, protection, exploitation, transportation, processing and consumption of coal and minerals have been comprehensively controlled; order in the exploitation, transportation, processing and trading of coal and minerals has been maintained, contributing to the development of Quang Ninh in a green and sustainable direction - Mr. Pham Van Cuong added.

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