Need to thoroughly handle problems at Truong Bon relic site

9 households are still located in the planning area.

Conservation and restoration projectTruong Bon historical siteapproved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province in Decision No. 1591/QD.UBND-CNXD dated April 19, 2010, with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (at the time of separation) as the investor using the State budget according to the program, the cultural and historical project of special importance. However, after starting construction on June 25, 2010, due to difficulties in capital sources, the project implementation was ineffective. On September 26, 2012, the People's Committee of the province issued Decision No. 3685/QD.UBND-DTXD transferring this project to the Department of Transport of Nghe An as the investor.

Initially, this project had a total investment of 175.4 billion VND, then adjusted to 366 billion VND, built on a campus of more than 20 hectares. According to the plan, the Truong Bon Historical Site Conservation and Restoration Project will include 3 main areas: the Victory Monument area; the central area and the area for conservation and restoration of the houses of hamlet 9 - where former youth volunteers were stationed to recreate the living scene and life during the resistance years. Up to now, the central area of ​​19.98 hectares has basically completed the construction items: Memorial area, regulating lake, memorial, exhibition house, square yard, parking lot... On August 8, 2015, phase 1 of the project was officially inaugurated and put into operation.

Although phase 1 of the project has been completed and put into operation for nearly 8 years, there are still 9 households located in the planning area, close to the monument area and scattered around the relic site that have not been relocated. Due to lack of compensation and site clearance, these households have not moved. All daily activities of the people as well as production and livestock and poultry raising activities still take place right next to the relic site.

In fact, in this area, we noticed that on the right side of the monument area, there are a number of households located within the planning area of ​​the relic site. Because there is no other way, they have to cross the monument every day to get to the main road. Around the relic site, many houses have been degraded, many livestock barns adjacent to the monument area, every time it rains, it causes a muddy and dirty situation.

In addition, in the relic site of the currently implemented phase 1, there is a 110Kv high voltage power line running through the middle of the square, which greatly affects the aesthetics, environmental landscape and poses a very high risk of electrical safety, because this high voltage power line runs across the square, which is where festivals and major events at the national and provincial levels are regularly held. Therefore, the relic site management unit as well as the Provincial People's Committee have advised Nghe An Electricity to develop a relocation plan, but it has not been implemented yet.

Mr. Phan Trong Loc - Director of Truong Bon Historical Relic Management Board said: Truong Bon National Historical Relic has been invested in and built in a spacious and synchronous manner, meeting the requirements of welcoming and serving tourists, and has become an important spiritual tourism destination, attracting a large number of people from all walks of life to visit, pay tribute, and study. The fact that 9 households still live next to and use the communal road with the relic site, raising livestock and poultry has greatly affected the aesthetics and landscape. Therefore, we hope that if phase 2 is not continued, the Provincial People's Committee will soon issue a decision to stop the project to expand the relic site, and at the same time open a communal road (about 700m long), so that households can feel secure, stabilize their lives, and the relic site can be better protected and its value can be promoted.

Need to resolve soon

Digging deeper into the issue of 9 households being "stuck" in the planning of this relic site for more than 10 years, we learned that the People's Committee of Do Luong district has repeatedly requested the investor and the Provincial People's Committee to resolve the issue but it has not been implemented yet. Specifically, in Report No. 1709/UBND-TNMT of Do Luong district, dated November 26, 2018, it is stated that after the decision to approve the project in 2010 and the decision to transfer the project to the Nghe An Department of Transport as the investor in 2012, the Compensation and Site Clearance Council of Do Luong district coordinated with the investor and the People's Committee of My Son commune to prepare compensation and site clearance records for households and individuals affected by the project.

On August 6, 2020, the People's Committee of Do Luong district issued Document No. 1133/UBND.TN on the estimate of compensation costs, support for site clearance and resettlement for 9 households in the planning of the project to preserve and embellish the Truong Bon historical relic site. The total compensation cost and support for site clearance for 9 households is more than 13.1 billion VND. Including compensation costs for land; compensation for houses, works, trees, crops, support for garden land...

Accordingly, there are currently 9 households in the old hamlet 10 (now hamlet 7), My Son commune affected by the project. Of the 9 households, 6 households have had their compensation and site clearance records prepared in 2013 and 2014, have had their land reclamation decisions and decisions approving compensation and site clearance support plans, but have not yet had funds to pay; the remaining 3 households have not had their compensation and site clearance support records prepared.

Also according to the report of Do Luong District People's Committee, in 2013 and 2014, due to the progress of the project, all 9 households were drawn to receive resettlement land and 1 household built a house on resettlement land.

In 2019 and 2020, the People's Committee of Do Luong district continued to send documents to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Transport, mainly asking for opinions: Should we continue to allocate funds to compensate and support site clearance for the relocation of 9 households affected by this project?; How to handle households whose compensation and support plans for site clearance were approved in 2013 and 2014 but have not yet had funds to pay, and for households that have built houses on resettlement land?; If there is no budget to pay compensation and support for site clearance, will these 9 households be allowed to repair and build new houses to serve their lives?

In fact, on March 16, 2017, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 1619/UBND-CN approving the suspension of the project, handing it over for exploitation and finalizing the first phase. Currently, the Nghe An Department of Transport has also handed over the project to the management unit for exploitation. On December 27, 2019, the Provincial People's Committee also officially approved the finalization of the first phase.

However, what the Truong Bon National Historical Site Management Board and all 9 households in the planning of this relic site are concerned about now is whether to continue implementing phase 2 of the project to preserve and restore this relic site or not? If it is still implemented, it is necessary to quickly resolve the compensation and support for site clearance so that people can soon stabilize their lives. If it is stopped completely, it is necessary to remove people from the planning, and at the same time close the campus to protect and promote the relic site more effectively.

Regarding the 110Kv power line passing through the relic site, it is known that since 2017, at meetings with the Northern Power Corporation (the unit managing this power line system), the leaders of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee have also proposed and received the consent of the managing unit to propose solutions and invest funds to bury and relocate the 110Kv pole and power line, to ensure safety and aesthetics for the relic site. However, up to now, this power line has not been relocated.

Thus, the recommendations of 9 households living in the planning area of ​​Truong Bon Historical Site as well as the recommendation to relocate the 110kV power line across this relic site are well-founded. The problem is that the competent authority needs to soon issue a final decision to completely resolve the problem, so that people can stabilize their lives and Truong Bon National Historical Site can maximize its value.