Chapter 258 Issue 1 (7)
Director Zhao felt a sense of unease in his heart. He was afraid that the reporters would take pictures or interview some explosive news.
And so it was. A scene flashed before an anonymous villager spoke up: "I led the villagers to petition, even to the county government gate to demand an explanation. However, as you know, I was arrested and detained for several days. After I got out, I heard from my family that the mine had sent people to visit every household and force them to sign a contract. They paid each household 1,000 yuan in compensation and forced them to sign the contract, which agreed to allow the mine to continue operating."
Reporter: "One thousand yuan? That's too little."
"But there's nothing I can do!"
The villagers said bitterly, "They brought a bunch of people with tattoos to scare people. The village is full of old men and women, so we don't dare to mess with them!"
——
The video stopped playing, and Jiang Ningyue asked, "Director Zhao, is this what you mean by the agreement?"
Director Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Supervisor, we don't know the specific details of this compensation. However, the mine told us that they have reached an agreement with the villagers. I don't know the specific details either."
Jiang Ningyue nodded and turned to look at Li Weimin, Director of the Environmental Protection Department. "Director Li, the mine is right next to a village, causing noise and dust pollution. In this case, can the mine sign a mediation agreement with the nearby villagers?"
Li Weimin picked up the microphone and said, "According to the 'Regulations on Safety Management and Supervision and Inspection of Small Open-Pit Quarries,' open-pit quarries must maintain a sufficient safe distance from residential areas, factories, and other buildings, as well as public facilities such as roads and power lines. The visible straight-line distance from residential areas must be at least 500 meters. For mining companies that do not meet these standards, relevant departments will not establish new mines or issue safety production licenses. Logically, this mine's safety production license should not have been issued, which means that the mine cannot even be operated, let alone negotiated mediation."
Jiang Ningyue nodded after hearing this and said, "In other words, the existence of this mine is a problem. The relevant departments violated regulations during the review and failed to fulfill their due review responsibilities."
Li Weimin also knew the other party's attitude of "getting to the bottom of things", and he also knew that if his answer could not satisfy the other party, he would definitely be ridiculed, so he simply answered frankly without fear of offending others.
"Supervisor, that's right. However, this issue isn't the responsibility of our Environmental Protection Department. All we can do is order them to make corrections. When applying for a permit, you should consult the issuing authority, the Haizhou Provincial Emergency Management Department."
Jiang Ningyue nodded after hearing this. After all, it was their first time hosting the show, and they hadn't invited one department, so there had been a minor blunder. But it wasn't a big deal. The mayor of Baihe City was sitting there, and according to the principle of territorial administration, this issue fell under his jurisdiction.
"Mayor Xia, can you take care of this matter?"
Xia Baohua picked up the phone and said, "I can manage this, and I want to. Supervisor, I'd like to connect with the Nanhe County government. I want to know what's going on and why this kind of mine is still operating."
"Okay." Jiang Ningyue nodded. "Connect to the Nanhe County Government."
The large screen flickered, and Nanhe County Magistrate Li stood before it, holding a document. "Mayor Li, Supervisor, our county government takes the Xiaohewan Village mine very seriously. As early as over two years ago, we held multiple talks with the relevant companies, and the mine's director also discussed this with our county government. First, since they hold a production safety permit, our county government has no reason to deny them permission to mine the ore. Second, although the mine is adjacent to the village, the primary impact has been on the few households closest to the mine. In response to this issue, the mine's director stated that they have already compensated these families.
"At the same time, there's no clear legal requirement that a mine must cease production if it's within 500 meters of a village. However, we will continue to communicate with the mine regarding noise and dust pollution. We'll have them facilitate the relocation of nearby villagers to ensure compliance with national regulations."
Jiang Ningyue raised a smile. If it was the previous question, she would have interrupted County Magistrate Li long ago. But with this one, she looked indifferent.
After listening quietly to County Magistrate Li, Jiang Ningyue looked at Mayor Xia, "Mayor Xia, are you satisfied with what County Magistrate Li said?"
Mayor Xia smiled and nodded, imitating Li Chunyan's tone. "I'm both satisfied and dissatisfied. I'm satisfied that the Nanhe County government has provided a reasonable solution, which is to relocate the villagers on a small scale. I believe that after the relocation, the impact on the villagers can be minimized. I'm dissatisfied that it has been delayed for so long. Why couldn't you have thought of this sooner? If the villagers had been relocated before the mine was operational, wouldn't so many villagers have been affected?"
Jiang Ningyue smiled and nodded, then looked at Li Chunyan, "Minister Li, are you satisfied with the way this matter was handled?"
Li Chunyan took the microphone and spoke bluntly, "I'm not satisfied. I think the first thing to do is to stop construction so that the people can sleep peacefully and live a stable life. After stopping construction, we can discuss how to minimize the impact, whether it's relocation or other measures. The first thing to do is to stop construction. After watching this program, the Provincial Emergency Management Department should also re-examine the mine's license. How was it issued so close to the village?"
Online comment section.
[Yes! These officials are boasting here, saying that the villagers are willing and can accept it. But have they really asked the villagers?]
The villagers were represented again.
[With just one thousand yuan a family, who are we looking down on? Even rural families don't lack that, right?]
[Yeah! I don't believe they're signing a mediation agreement for just one thousand yuan.]
Minister Li is right! There's no point in saying anything else. Stop work first!
【Stop work!】
Jiang Ningyue looked at Li Nan and motioned him to speak.
Li Nan said, "Now please ask the 30 judges to vote."
Soon, the jury began to vote, and 28 of the 30 judges voted dissatisfied.
This astonishing ratio made Xia Baohua and the others look very unhappy. Jiang Ningyue's smile became even brighter. The people have sharp eyes. You officials can't treat the people as fools. Sometimes, the people simply don't have the ability to resist, rather than willingly accepting your oppression.
Li Nan asked, "Is there any judge who voted against the proposal willing to speak?"
"Swish, swish, swish", seven or eight judges raised their hands.
This time, Li Nan specially selected a member of the public. In the previous few times, almost no one raised their hands, but this time it seemed that they had adapted to their identity.
"Please let this representative of the masses speak."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
