HÀ NỘI - Authorities of the northern Ninh Bình Province’s Gia Viễn District are making every effort to wipe out illegal gathering areas of building materials built along the Hoàng Long River dike, said Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee.

The official said on Wednesday that local authorities should firstly re-inspect all sand gathering areas. Secondly, they should call upon the owners of these areas to remove any illegal constructions, and finally obedience should be enforced by relevant forces.

The Hoàng Long Dike management board at Ninh Bình Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that there had been 11 illegal sand collection areas on the dike route along the section of the river that crosses the district in Ninh Bình Province.

Trịnh Quốc Lập, head of the management board said initial investigations showed local private investors had poured much money into building concrete pillars for cranes with the aim of transporting sand among individual ships and boats.

He added that the transportation of a large volume of sand every day had affected the river flow and the drainage process during the flood season.

He cited a case as an example. Hà Văn Tiện, a Gia Trung Commune’s villager invested money to build an illegal sand gathering area on allotted land near the Hoàng Long River dike. He was granted the land for the purpose of aqua-culture farming. 

The communal authorities asked Tiện to remove the illegal construction, however, as Tin Tức (News) newspaper reporters witnessed on Wednesday, Tiện’s sand loading area was still operating.

The reporters said a 2m-high pillar having a base of 3.1m x 5m had been newly constructed at Tiện’s illegal sand gathering area, 38m distant from the dike foot.

Đỗ Xuân Tạo, chairman of the Gia Trung Commune People’s Committee admitted that along the section of river crossing the commune, there have been three illegal sand gathering areas with large-capacity cranes.

He said that provincial authorities had not yet promulgated a specific scheme for the dike area and didn’t allow any construction along the river. He also said the communal authorities are able to impose a fine on the owners of illegal sand gathering areas and ask them to remove the illegal constructions.

Gia Viễn District People’s Committee planned to start a crackdown on illegal sand gathering areas, aiming at guaranteeing the safety of the dike. They are also preparing an overall planning scheme of legal building material gathering areas along the Hòang Long River dike. - VNS