The sound of engines running rumbled. White smoke, sometimes black, continued to rise from the chimney. The pungent smell and stench from wastewater still covered the residential area.
Meanwhile, according to the sanctioning decision of the functional agency, the paper recycling facility under Phu Ninh Paper Cooperative (Phu Tho) is still in the period of having to stop operating because it has not been granted an environmental permit.
According to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection, paper recycling is an industry with a high risk of pollution, requiring environmental procedures to be completed before operation.
Therefore, the fact that Phu Ninh Paper Cooperative was fined and suspended from operation is completely legally grounded.
It is worth mentioning that to date, the environmental dossier of this unit has not been approved by functional agencies. However, actual records show that machinery is still operating, raw materials are still being gathered, and finished products are still appearing in the factory.
The explanation of the cooperative leaders that just "testing machinery" is difficult to convince public opinion.
If the trial run has not been approved by a competent authority, then that activity is a violation.
It is impossible for a facility that is being suspended to arbitrarily operate and then call it a "test run" to evade responsibility.
This case reflects a worrying reality in environmental management in some localities, there are penalties, there are requests for remediation, but post-fine supervision is not sufficiently strict.
In particular, old, rusty paper recycling lines, even said to have been removed elsewhere, further raise concerns about the risk of pollution.
If not strictly controlled, outdated production facilities can turn rural areas into places to receive old technology and bear environmental consequences.
Environmental laws are built not to cause difficulties for businesses but to protect the community and the sustainable development of businesses. Therefore, all organizations and individuals must comply equally.
If the facility still operates when it does not meet legal conditions, functional agencies need to quickly inspect and handle it thoroughly. There cannot be a precedent that just pay a fine and then continue production, just violate and then ask to complete the dossier later.
The strictness of the law is measured by whether the handling decisions are implemented to the end or not.
People have the right to breathe fresh air, to live in a safe environment.
That legitimate right cannot be traded off by production lines operating regardless of regulations.
