Con Cuong: People arbitrarily build roads and bridges to collect tolls from traffic participants

(Baonghean) -In the storm last September, many communes in Con Cuong district suffered heavy damage, especially the roads were seriously eroded, making it difficult for people to travel. Taking advantage of the traffic difficulties, in some places in the district such as Thach Ngan commune and Cam Lam commune, people arbitrarily built bridges and roads and brazenly collected tolls at exorbitant prices.

On the way to Thach Ngan commune for work, when we crossed the temporary bamboo bridge over the stream connecting the two villages of Ke Trai moi and Ke Trai cuoi, we were stopped by a woman who had set up a tent right next to the bridge and asked for 3,000 VND for the bridge toll. Surprised, I asked why there was a toll, and the woman replied: “This is the bridge I built myself, so anyone who crosses it must pay, motorbikes 3,000 VND/trip, bicycles 1,000 VND/trip.”

A local resident here said that this stream used to have a spillway to cross, but the recent flood washed it away, the ravine was buried by rocks and soil, forming this stream. Traffic between the old and new Ke Trai villages was cut off by this stream after the flood. Seeing this, a resident arbitrarily built a bridge and collected tolls from passersby.

After finishing our work in Thach Ngan commune, we went to Con Cuong town along the road to Cay Chanh bridge. When we reached a muddy section of road that was very difficult to travel, we saw a relatively easy-to-travel wooden path on the side of the road, so we turned onto that path. When we had just passed the wooden path, we were stopped by a middle-aged woman who asked for 3,000 VND for the toll. It turned out that the wooden path, about ten meters long, was built by the local people themselves and then collected the toll. When I asked, this woman replied: "If you go through the road I built, you have to pay the toll. If you don't want to pay the toll, you can go to that muddy section of road, don't go on the road I built." I had no choice but to take out 3,000 VND and give it to her. Similar to the previous time, here it is also 3,000 VND/trip for motorbikes and 1,000 VND/trip for bicycles.

This is the main road and also the easiest way to get into Thach Ngan commune, so there are quite a lot of vehicles passing through here. I estimate that this woman can earn up to hundreds of thousands of dong a day from collecting these "traffic" fees.

With more than 10 meters of rough wooden road, this woman "asks" people to pass by here for 3,000 VND/trip with motorbikes.



Just a stream less than 10 meters wide, two young men Mau and Dau "sweetly ripped off" passersby 10,000 VND/trip.



Many people had to go out but had no money so they risked their lives wading across the river, despite the dangerous strong currents.
(Photo taken on November 6, 2011)

Not only that, when we went on a business trip to Bach Son village, Cam Lam commune, at the beginning of the road to the village there was a Xi Vang stream flowing through. Previously, people often waded through this stream to go out. However, due to the storm and flood in September, this stream was eroded by the flood, the water from the stream flowed out strongly so people could no longer wade across. Taking advantage of the opportunity, two young men, Luong Van Mau and Lang Vi Dau from the neighboring village, made a raft out of bamboo to transport people and vehicles across the stream. Surprisingly, each time they crossed like that, these two young men "cut off" up to 10,000 VND/trip for motorbikes.

Mr. Can Van Thuong - Head of Bach Son village told us: “A few days ago, they charged 15,000 VND/trip. Seeing that, the villagers complained to the commune government, so they reduced the fee to 10,000 VND. We villagers work on the fields, so every time we have to go out, we feel sorry. Some people, because they don’t have money, risk their lives pushing their carts across the stream, while the current is very strong, so it is extremely dangerous. Since the fee was collected to cross the stream, the villagers only go out when they have urgent matters, no one leaves the village.”

According to our observation, this ravine is only about 10 meters wide, with only a raft, a pulley and a rope stretched across the two sides of the ravine, these two young men charged 10,000 VND/trip, which is really "cutthroat" for people to pass through this section.

Because we went on Sunday, we could not work with the Cam Lam commune authorities. However, when we talked to him on the phone, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tru - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee refused to answer our question: Has the commune authority taken any measures to resolve that situation? Mr. Tru only said that the problem is very difficult now and did not answer anything further!? Could it be that this commune chairman also agrees with the fee collection of the two young men?

It is recommended that local authorities of Thach Ngan and Cam Lam communes as well as Con Cuong district take timely intervention measures to prevent the above situation.

Pham Hoa