31 hectares of forest destroyed in an illegal coal mining
A local company has destroyed 31 hectares of forestland for coal mining under the guise that they were building a cemetery in Quang Ninh Province.
However, up until now, there is only one wall completed and 31 hectares of land have been destroyed for coal mining. Reports from Hoanh Bo District in 2015 show that Quang La Commune People's Committee proposed two locations for rubbish dumping and another for levelling up the ground of the cemetery which was approved.
The cemetery was supposed to be located on the side of a hill so the company only had to scrap out a piece of land. It's unclear why the communal authorities want to level up the ground.
In order to level up the ground, Ha Long Group dug out land from a location which is 2km away from the cemetery and found a coalfield. The group then proceeded on expanding the mining activities and stopped all cemetery building work.
Nguyen Huu Nha, vice chairman of Hoanh Bo District, said the authorities only manage land and forest and the coal was actually under the management of another company, Thang Long.
Ha Hai Long, deputy director of Thang Long Company, said, "We are assigned to manage the natural resources in Hoanh Bo. But if there is any project started, it's very difficult for us to access the site and so we can't know if other companies are mining the resources or not."
Quang Ninh Chairman Nguyen Duc Long held a meeting to find solutions for the case. He asked Hoanh Bo District authorities to prevent the mining activities, publicise information about the project and adjust the planned cemetery. They were asked to submit reports by November 15.
Ha Long Group was asked to remove all equipment and employees out of the coal mines by November 30.
Forest destroyed for illegal coal mining
However, up until now, there is only one wall completed and 31 hectares of land have been destroyed for coal mining. Reports from Hoanh Bo District in 2015 show that Quang La Commune People's Committee proposed two locations for rubbish dumping and another for levelling up the ground of the cemetery which was approved.
The cemetery was supposed to be located on the side of a hill so the company only had to scrap out a piece of land. It's unclear why the communal authorities want to level up the ground.
In order to level up the ground, Ha Long Group dug out land from a location which is 2km away from the cemetery and found a coalfield. The group then proceeded on expanding the mining activities and stopped all cemetery building work.
Nguyen Huu Nha, vice chairman of Hoanh Bo District, said the authorities only manage land and forest and the coal was actually under the management of another company, Thang Long.
Ha Hai Long, deputy director of Thang Long Company, said, "We are assigned to manage the natural resources in Hoanh Bo. But if there is any project started, it's very difficult for us to access the site and so we can't know if other companies are mining the resources or not."
Quang Ninh Chairman Nguyen Duc Long held a meeting to find solutions for the case. He asked Hoanh Bo District authorities to prevent the mining activities, publicise information about the project and adjust the planned cemetery. They were asked to submit reports by November 15.
Ha Long Group was asked to remove all equipment and employees out of the coal mines by November 30.
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