In protest of sand mining that has caused landslides, hundreds of residents of Tu Nghia District in central Quang Ngai Province gathered before the office of district government yesterday, causing disorder and blocking traffic on National Highway 1.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning when many residents of Tu Nghia’s Nghia An Commune flocked to the People’s Committee of Tu Nghia District in protest of the intensive sand mining during the dredging of the Dai River Mouth by a local business.
Locals complained this has caused serious landslides, threatening the safety of residents.
The angry residents detained three workers of a local company, Truong Phat Loc, which has a contract with local authorities to exploit sand. They escorted them to the office yesterday morning, demanding the sand mining be put to a stop, said Dinh Hoai Bac, deputy director of the provincial police.
In the afternoon of the same day, Quang Ngai Province Party Committee Secretary Vo Van Thuong came to the scene to talk with locals about issues related to sand exploitation.
Hundreds of residents gathered in front of Tu Nghia District People's Committee to protest sand mining on October 27, 2013(Photo: Tuoi Tre)
Thuong promised residents that he would not allow any companies to continue to mine sand if it affected the lives of local residents and the environment.
Households that have been damaged due to sand exploitation will be given compensation, Thuong said.
After Thuong’s explanation and promises, the gathering was dismissed and protesters left the area.
Landslides
The provincial government later held a press conference to provide necessary information about the incident.
Speaking at the conference, Nguyen Mau Van, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the project for dredging and collecting sand from the Kinh and Phu Tho Rivers was implemented by Truong Phat Loc JSC and Ngoc Viet Production, Trading and Service Company.
Police tried to handling traffic congestion caused by the gathering of residents in Tu Nghia District, Quang Ngai Province on October 27, 2013 (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
By September 2013, two companies had caused serious landslides in coastal areas by mining three million cubic meters of sand, affecting the lives and safety of residents.
The provincial authorities ordered to stop the dredging to to repair damages caused by the landslides and to prevent further landslides.
The local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ngoc Viet Co later took measures to overcome consequences of the mining and prevent landsides.
Pham Truong Tho, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, expressed regret over the protest in front of Tu Nghia District People’s Committee.
He confirmed that the provincial authorities have yet to allow any businesses to continue mining sand, but have allowed the dredging of the two rivers to continue.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
