Penza, 30 October 2015. PenzaNews. Valery Savin, acting deputy chairman of the Penza region government, has called for intensifying the measures to fight illegal mining, stressing to the ministers that the figures on extraction of sand, rubble, clay, limestone and other materials have decreased.

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“The concrete factory is working, producing foam concrete blocks, producing bricks, extracting rubble, but figures are decreasing. Do extractors ‘go underground’? Do they illegally export materials outside the region?” he asked during the October 29 regional government meeting session held on Thursday.

Sergei Khazov, acting assistant Minister of Forestry, Hunting and Wildlife of the Penza region, provided the explanation.

“The documents say there are 104 licensees working in the region, while only 80 are active in reality. Incorrect data stems from inaccurate figures. We are working out the discrepancies with all red-handed extraction companies,” he said.

Sergei Khazov added that any measures on illegal extraction sites are taken immediately, says the press office of the Penza region government.