Tongcheng city officials summoned over illegal sand mining

The Nanjing Bureau of National Natural Resources Inspection on Tuesday publicly summoned leading officials of the Tongcheng city government in Anhui province over illegal sand and gravel extraction carried out under the guise of farmland quality improvement.

The bureau criticized the Tongcheng government for facilitating the violations and demanded immediate rectification, urging them to curb illegal sand mining and uphold the natural resources management order.

According to the bureau, in December 2022, the Tongcheng government approved a farmland quality improvement plan submitted by Kongcheng town that involved replacing underground sand and gravel with surface waste material before leveling and improving the soil.

However, inspections found that the project focused on sand extraction rather than soil improvement, and the quality of farmland was never improved. Between December 2022 and the end of 2023, nearly 400,000 metric tons of sand and gravel were transported off-site and sold.

The bureau said that the operations violated the mineral resources law, which stipulates that no entity or individual may encroach upon or destroy mineral resources by any means, and that prospecting for and mining of mineral resources shall be subject to the acquisition of exploration and mining rights in accordance with the law.

Relevant departments in Tongcheng failed in their responsibilities to investigate or act on the violations, the bureau added.

It urged Tongcheng to adjust its political stance, fully grasp the gravity of the problem and reflect deeply on root causes. Trading away natural resource management order for short-term, localized development gains is strictly prohibited, and the bottom line of natural resource security must be firmly upheld, the bureau added.

Provincial and municipal governments have also been instructed to tighten oversight responsibilities, ensure thorough rectification, pursue accountability for dereliction of duty, and strengthen supervisory mechanisms.

The bureau emphasized that remediation should proceed in accordance with the law and based on actual conditions, warning against oversimplified or one-size-fits-all approaches.

Tongcheng city officials said at the meeting that all issues identified by the bureau would be rectified in line with laws and regulations, and that those found negligent would face serious accountability measures. They pledged to use the case as a warning, draw lessons, improve mechanisms, close loopholes and resolutely prevent similar violations from occurring.

The bureau said it would closely monitor Tongcheng's rectification progress and conduct follow-up inspections, leveraging the national natural resources inspection system to oversee local government performance and maintain order in mineral resource development and utilization.