Le Tien Dat, Deputy Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate, signed a notice on a thematic inspection of mineral management and extraction for construction materials in Can Tho, An Giang and Ca Mau.
The inspection found violations at the MS04 sand quarry in Can Tho. In 2012, the former Soc Trang administration issued Hòa Tuấn Co., Ltd. a license for a 100-hectare area, with an approved reserve of 4.5 million cubic metres and annual capacity of 500,000 cubic metres.
The license lasted nine years, until March 12, 2021. During that period, the company extracted just over 235,280 cubic metres of sand.
From January 1 to June 30 this year, Hòa Tuấn extracted and supplied 74,476 cubic metres to contractors on component project 4 of the first-phase Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway. That was nearly 10.3% of annual capacity. One or two vehicles usually operated daily, although the company's license application listed eight to ten.
The company failed to comply with Decision No. 1216/2026, which imposed a VND 2.08 billion fine. It also had not paid VND 800 million in land rent, natural resource tax or the environmental protection fee for the first six months of the year. The total exceeded VND 1.23 billion.
On July 23, the chairman of the Can Tho People's Committee revoked Hòa Tuấn's license. The inspection also found that the company underreported extraction at MS04 by 1,408 cubic metres, leaving part of the taxes and fees unpaid.
The Government Inspectorate found further problems at quarries supplying sand for the expressway. After their licenses expired, the operators of MS05 and MS12 failed to meet capacity and did not extract all the sand listed in their approvals and registrations. The operator of MS03 also failed to meet the required capacity and approved volume.
The inspectorate said the shortfall caused a sand shortage for component project 4 and affected the overall schedule. It asked Can Tho to urgently arrange sand for land filling. The ministries of industry and trade and construction were asked to help review reserves and coordinate sand and stone for major national projects, including the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang and Can Tho - Ca Mau expressways.
Can Tho was told to review unpaid natural resource tax, collect it with late-payment charges and impose administrative penalties on Hòa Tuấn to prevent losses to the state budget.
The entire expressway project is due for completion in 2027
The first phase of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway was approved in 2022. It is more than 188 kilometres long and runs through An Giang and Can Tho. The project has four components: An Giang oversees the first, while Can Tho oversees the second, third and fourth. The National Assembly required the project to be completed and opened to traffic in 2027.
Sources: Dân Trí
