Deputy PM Binh ordered related agencies in localities to tighten control over the sand and gravel exploitation and trading.
At first, he asked the Ministry of Transport to liaise with the Ministry of Public Security and local administrations to enhance supervision to boats and impose fines on these ships carrying sand and stone without clear origin.
The ministries and local administration have to review river dredging projects performed by private companies. If having violations, chairpersons of provincial people’s committee will have to bear responsibility before the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Public Security will open attack to violators in sand exploitation in cities and provinces nationwide. It must ordered local police force to closely work with responsible agencies in the districts to increase supervision and handling illegal sand exploitation following the law, even transferring the document to police investigator for prosecution.
Deputy PM Binh also ordered the Ministry of Construction to step up production of alternative man-made sand for construction. The Ministry of Finance must tighten the control over tax receipt in trading of construction sand to prevent utilizing of illegal sand.
Provincial people’s committees must enhance inspection over sand exploitation. Leaders will also have to bear responsibility if there are rampant sand exploitations of which raise public concern.
One of the most noticeable instruction is that Vietnam's Prime Minister has ordered since 2018, the transport ministry to pass jurisdiction over all river dredging projects to provincial authorities amid reports some projects are causing serious erosion, a matter that has stirred public outcry.
