Ministry releases details of illegal land reclamation cases

Details of five illegal land reclamation cases discovered around the country in the second quarter of the year were released by the Ministry of Natural Resources on Wednesday.

Ministry spokesman Liu Guohong told a news conference in Beijing that the illegal activities were found and stopped by natural resources authorities in Liaoning, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and involved a total area of about 7,800 square meters.

Individuals and entities involved in the cases were being investigated by local law enforcement departments, he said.

Liu said that thanks to strict management and supervision, there had been no massive illegal or irregular land reclamation activities in the second quarter.

The ministry also said 83 cases of misconduct and dereliction of duty had been discovered in local governments’ land survey work.

The misconduct and dereliction of duty was discovered during supervision by the ministry that covered 183 county-level regions from June to mid-July, Liu said, adding that the ministry has urged local authorities to strictly implement related policies and regulations and make sure the results of the land survey are true and accurate.