VietNamNet Bridge – The Ha Noi Natural Resources and Environment Department has called for tightening measures for managing and handling violations of illegal mineral exploitation in the city.

The move follows recent illegal mining in many areas of the city due to weak management of mineral exploitation laws. Violations are mainly related to illegal assigning of permission or mining without permission.

The department's recent inspections found mineral exploitation rights of the Sungei Way Ha Tay Joint-venture Company's stone mine in Hoa Thach Commune, Quoc Oai District had been assigned to the Ha Tay Construction and Construction Materials Company since 2013 without permission of authorities.

To date, the Ha Tay Construction and Construction Materials Company had mined more than 350,000 tonnes of stone since 2014.

The department also found violations of removal of sand from 24 hectares of Hong River alluvial soil owned by Hong Giang, a private company in Lien Hong Commune, Dan Phuong District.

The company had removed sand to building a road from the mining sites to the dyke and for selling sand, even though the company had not completed legal formalities relating to land leases and space hand-overs.

Inspection teams also discovered the Mineral and Mechanics JSC illegally mined some 4,000 cubic metres of brown coal in Thuong Lam Commune of My Duc District, despite the company having announced it had ceased operations in 2013.

"The department has proposed stricter management and measures for handling violations in the city," the department deputy director, Nguyen Van Hung, told the online newspaper Vietnam Plus.

Hung said that the department proposed that the municipal People's Committee direct districts and towns to carry out inspections relating to mineral exploitation management and strictly handle violations.

The department also asked for strengthening inspections relating to minerals tax paying obligations, environment fees and land lease fees of mining firms.

"We asked the Sungei Way Ha Tay Joint-venture Company to complete formalities relating to the assigning of mineral exploitation rights before March 31, 2015," said Hung.

"The company could only put the mine into operation after receiving permission from the jurisdictional authorities. All violations would be punished strictly following legal laws and regulations," stressed Hung.

VNS