Chapter 327: Environmental Pollution

After work, accompanied by the County Party Committee Office Director Li Xinbo, Lu Fan headed to the Ganshui Hotel to attend a banquet.

Upon arriving at the private room, he saw County Head Wang Baoguo, Deputy County Head Li Junze, and the heads of the Tourism Bureau, Culture Bureau, Economic Development Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau, and Land Bureau were all present. The service staff were also brought along by Zhongqing Tourism, and they were all beautiful women!

When the Secretary arrived, everyone stood up. Ma Shaohua and Xia Ruo walked forward a few steps, welcoming Lu Fan to sit in the main seat.

Looking at the cold dishes on the table and then at the "white liquor" in the mineral water bottles, Zhongqing Tourism had spent a fortune on this meal; these dishes could not be found in Ganshui!

Lu Fan smiled and said to Ma Shaohua, "We agreed that Ganshui would host, yet you've prepared all the dishes. We must drink our own liquor no matter what—it's authentic 'Sui-Tang Jade Liquid,' a Ganshui specialty. If we reach a cooperation agreement, I think the Meishui liquor is worth developing vigorously!"

Business hospitality is understandable, but excessive eating and drinking, and serving expensive tobacco and alcohol, easily lead to problems. Who knew how much the "mineral water" cost? It was inevitable that there were those with ulterior motives present, and Lu Fan did not want to invite extra trouble.

County Party Committee Office Director Li Xinbo immediately understood and sent a message.

Soon, staff members brought in a case of white liquor and removed all the "mineral water."

Ma Shaohua looked slightly embarrassed, but immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Please forgive me, Secretary. It was my lack of consideration. Today, let us taste the Meishui liquor we have been longing for!"

After the meal began, Xia Ruo's advantages became apparent. Not only was she witty and articulate, but her alcohol tolerance was also excellent, and she was very capable of enlivening the atmosphere.

It was rare to see such a beauty in Ganshui. Deputy County Head Li Junxia's gaze never left Xia Ruo, his eyes flashing with greed. Even County Head Wang Baoguo stole glances from time to time, his mind wandering!

But while the man was interested, the woman was not. Xia Ruo's focus remained entirely on Lu Fan, constantly finding opportunities to toast him, her eyes occasionally revealing admiration, subjecting Lu Fan to an unusual test.

"Secretary Lu, I toast you. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant!" Xia Ruo raised her glass and said softly.

Lu Fan responded politely, "Thank you. I hope Ganshui and Zhongqing Tourism cooperate pleasantly and work together for a win-win result!"

In this kind of business banquet, everyone had a sense of proportion and would not easily get drunk.

More than an hour later, Lu Fan proposed a toast and said with a smile, "Thank you, Manager Sun and Manager Xia, for your kind invitation! We have entered the era of mass tourism, and tourism resources are the lifeblood of green development. Ganshui possesses rich ecological tourism resources, with clear advantages in location and ecology. Your company has mature experience in profit models, creative planning, design, execution, and operational models; our two sides have a natural foundation for cooperation. On behalf of the County Party Committee and County Government, I sincerely welcome Zhongqing Tourism to invest and develop in Ganshui. I hope we can reach a cooperation agreement as soon as possible!

All good things must come to an end. Come, I invite everyone to a toast; let's end it here for today!"

After the banquet, Xia Ruo followed Lu Fan downstairs and said with concern, "Secretary Lu, I see you are a bit tipsy. Shall I send you back? Or, it would be fine to open a room here to rest!"

Lu Fan waved his hand and said with a smile, "Manager Xia underestimates me. My alcohol tolerance isn't that low!"

Xia Ruo leaned close to Lu Fan, her breath like orchids, and whispered, "Secretary, our company has a small token of appreciation we would like to express to you, to thank you for your care, support, and help for our company. It's not much, just five hundred; please accept it with a smile!"

Lu Fan looked at Xia Ruo and smiled slightly, "The purpose of cooperation is to achieve a win-win result. Please do not have any concerns, Manager Xia. I can promise that your company's investment in Ganshui will not be subject to any artificial obstacles or difficulties, nor will there be any bad phenomena such as extortion or buck-passing. You can come to me at any time if you have any issues. All I care about is the interests of the people of Ganshui! It is getting late, Manager Xia, go back and rest early!"

Although the words were polite, the attitude was exceptionally firm. Xia Ruo understood in her heart that there was no possibility of success tonight, so she hurriedly stood up to apologize, stating that her behavior had been abrupt!

Watching the figure gradually move away, Xia Ruo was lost in thought. She had not expected that in a small county in Qinchuan, there would be such an unconventional official; it was truly rare and commendable! However, the next steps would be difficult! They were least afraid of you reaching out your hand; they were most afraid of you not reaching out!

The next day, the cooperation negotiations between Zhongqing Tourism and Ganshui County officially began, with Deputy County Head Li Junxia presiding over the meeting.

But the negotiations reached a stalemate as soon as they began, because both sides proposed a 70% stake, wanting to obtain the dominant power for development and operation.

Li Junxia looked at Tourism Bureau Director Dong Pengxin and did not speak for the time being, because he knew that 70% was likely Lu Fan's idea.

Lu Fan did not pay too much attention to the negotiations; he knew this could not be achieved overnight.

At two in the afternoon, Lu Fan headed to Laoshan Town to handle a petition case.

Accompanied by Laoshan Town Party Committee Secretary Wang Shuxian and Town Head Geng Kai, Lu Fan arrived at Zhongchuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. to inspect the pollution situation on-site.

Villagers reported that their village had contracted and rented 110 mu of farmland to Zhongchuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., involving the land of 32 households. The purpose was to plant greenhouses, combining breeding and planting, but now it had turned into a site for garbage, sludge, and sewage.

Upon arriving at the contracted land, the scene before him shocked Lu Fan. The farmland was ruined beyond recognition, with large areas covered in thick black sludge, emitting a foul odor that was shocking to behold!

Lu Fan's heart was filled with anger and worry. With a gloomy face, he questioned, "Wang Shuxian, Geng Kai, why did you turn a blind eye to this situation? How many times have the villagers petitioned? Why haven't you solved the problem? Are your eyes blind?"

Wang Shuxian stammered, "Secretary, this matter... we know, sigh, it's not easy to manage!"

Lu Fan did not waste words with him and asked directly, "Whose enterprise is this? Who introduced the project? Who is the backer?"

Hearing the Secretary ask this, Wang Shuxian understood the seriousness of the matter and immediately became nervous. This required taking a stand!

In less than three seconds, he made a decision and said, "Secretary, I have never met the boss of this enterprise; he is very arrogant! The project was personally approved by the County Head, who even gave some preferential policies. However, I heard that the boss has some relationship with the Mayor, but I don't know the specific situation."

Lu Fan nodded, his expression softening slightly, and asked again, "I heard it was reported to the County Party Committee Propaganda Department. Did Minister Jing Xuan not look into it?"

Wang Shuxian replied, "The Propaganda Department came down to investigate once, and there has been no response since."

Lu Fan stared at the two and asked, "Do you two have any relationship with this project? Did you take any benefits from them?"

Wang Shuxian hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Secretary, I have only contacted this enterprise twice and basically have no intersection with them!"

Town Head Geng Kai also said, "Secretary, we would not degenerate ourselves and knowingly break the law. The Secretary and I have discussed this project many times; it is really difficult to handle!"

"Environmental Protection Bureau? Safety Supervision Bureau? Did they fulfill their duties?"

Wang Shuxian replied, "The Safety Supervision Bureau has been here several times, but nothing came of it. The Environmental Protection Bureau has only been here once; this project was actually brokered by them!"

"We must thoroughly investigate this matter and give the villagers an explanation! The Town Government must take action immediately to stop this behavior of destroying the environment. Order them to stop the pollution immediately, find someone to assess the degree of land pollution, and formulate a corresponding restoration plan. Calculate the costs and compensation; we must pursue their legal responsibility according to the law!"

As he was speaking, surrounding villagers gathered around. Someone recognized Lu Fan, and everyone immediately surrounded him, vying to pour out their grievances!

"Secretary Lu, there is a lot of rain in autumn; what should we do about this sludge!"

"Secretary Lu, we signed a land transfer contract. The terms clearly defined the use of the land, clearly stating the responsibilities, rights, obligations, and methods. How did it turn out like this? Look at this environmental pollution, with sludge and sewage piled up everywhere, and no one has managed it!"

"Secretary Lu, I called the Mayor's hotline to report the situation. People from the Environmental Protection Bureau actually inspected the farmland and told us to wait for them to report back to the Director and leaders before giving us an answer. But it has been dragged on for more than a year, and the pollution has been going on for almost three years!"

Lu Fan asked the villagers, "Have you communicated with Zhongchuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd.? What did they say?"

The villagers shook their heads helplessly, "We have looked for them many times, but they have been shirking responsibility and even threatened us not to cause any more trouble!"

Standing by the farmland, looking at the devastation, Lu Fan looked firmly at the villagers and said loudly, "Land is our foundation, yet now it has been destroyed beyond recognition! Please rest assured, I will manage this matter to the end and will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!"

The villagers shouted in unison, "Secretary Lu, we believe in you!"

Lu Fan instructed Li Xinbo and Wang Shuxian to collect detailed evidence.

Then he dialed the phone of County Public Security Bureau Director Wang Hongpeng. After it connected, he asked directly, "Do you know about the farmland pollution problem at Zhongchuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Laoshan Town?"

"I know, but I didn't manage it. I heard it was the County Head's project. If you are not in that position, don't seek to manage that business; I didn't want to overreach."

"If you don't manage it, I will! You send people now to control this place; don't let this company transfer its assets. You don't need to worry about anything else. Is there a problem?"

"Just this? Rest assured, I guarantee it will be handled properly; I won't let them take a single hair! Secretary, a word of warning: the boss of this enterprise is a classmate of the Mayor!"

"Hongpeng, thank you! To be an official is to benefit the people. No matter who he is, as long as the interests of the people of Ganshui are harmed, it is absolutely not allowed! I am the Ganshui County Party Committee Secretary, so I must be the master for the people of Ganshui!" Lu Fan's words were like a vow, resounding and powerful.

"Good, Secretary, I like your temper. No matter what we do, count me in!"

After saying goodbye to the villagers, Lu Fan returned to his office, sitting and pondering how to handle this matter.

Petitions—many problems are caused by these people; of course, they are difficult to handle. ===== CHAPTER 328 =====