People mobilization in Thai Hoa Town: We must understand the people and serve the people.

(Baonghean) - For Thai Hoa town, infrastructure development is an urgent need to create the image of a central urban area in the Northwest of Nghe An province. This requires the land clearance process to be carried out very urgently and promptly, meeting the construction schedule. In recent times, with many creative approaches and the rational application of government-led public relations work, Thai Hoa has achieved many breakthroughs in land clearance work in the area.

One of the key projects of Thai Hoa town over the years has been the N6 road, 1.2 km long and 39m wide, with its starting point intersecting National Highway 48 in Tan Thanh block, Hoa Hieu ward. According to the land clearance plan, more than 50 households in Tan Thanh block had to be relocated to ensure construction site availability. However, although the N6 road project was started in 2009 and officially began construction in 2010, by early 2013, land clearance was still incomplete, significantly affecting the progress of other key projects. Faced with this situation, at the first meeting of the Thai Hoa Town People's Committee in 2013, Mr. Le Phuc An – Chairman of the Town People's Committee – decided to assign the heads of the specialized departments of the Town People's Committee to act as the "commanders" of land clearance for projects in the area and to be responsible for reporting the progress of land clearance directly to the Chairman of the Town People's Committee.

Construction on the N6 road in Thai Hoa town is proceeding urgently.

On the N6 road, land clearance work was directly assigned to the Head of the Urban Management Department, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, who served as the "commander." He was tasked with land clearance for one of the town's key projects, but the slow progress due to disagreements among the people placed a heavy responsibility on the Urban Management Department. "The Tan Thanh area is considered the town's center, so the people have very favorable conditions for business and trade. Now, having to move elsewhere and change their livelihoods, many households are hesitant, especially the 11 households who have lived and traded stably for decades along National Highway 48 – a location considered prime real estate in the town," Mr. Tuan stated.

In the face of difficulties, many approaches have been implemented creatively and appropriately by officials and leaders of Thai Hoa Town and the Urban Management Department, in coordination with the Party Committee and the government of Hoa Hieu Ward, to create positive changes. First, all measurement results are publicly and transparently disclosed by the Town's Land Clearance Council so that the people are aware. Town officials, including "commander" Tuan, regularly visit each household to explain the compensation policy to the people. Following this, many land clearance dialogue meetings are held directly with the people, chaired by Hoa Hieu Ward and attended by relevant departments, to listen to the concerns, aspirations, and suggestions of households subject to relocation. Through these meetings, the People's Committee of the ward compiles and categorizes the people's opinions into groups to develop specific solutions.

In addition, the ward also advises higher-level authorities on solutions to address people's requests, applying flexibility within the framework of state regulations to ensure the interests of the people. Mr. Duong Ngoc Trung – Chairman of the Hoa Hieu Ward People's Committee shared: “If the people's requests fall within the ward's jurisdiction, we will resolve them immediately, without delay. The most important thing is that the people feel the government is listening and genuinely cares about resolving their concerns. As a result, many households subject to relocation understand that their rights are protected and agree with the relocation plan. For those who are still hesitant and do not agree to relocate, we must patiently explain and persuade them.”

With the above approach, many households have come to terms with the situation and are ready to relocate to the resettlement area already built in Long Son ward. However, in the final stages, three households still resolutely refused to relocate. Faced with this situation, the Land Clearance Council of Thai Hoa town and Hoa Hieu ward continued to divide into many teams to persistently persuade the people. Town leaders directly visited the households to meet with and explain the situation to the people. Simultaneously, in Hoa Hieu ward, teams including leaders of Party committees, government agencies, mass organizations, and neighborhood leaders took turns visiting households to persuade them emotionally. “The Women's Union persuaded the wives, the Youth Union persuaded the children… Sometimes, the people in the neighborhood also actively joined hands in the persuasion, and finally, these households relented and agreed to relocate,” said Comrade Duong Ngoc Trung. Another factor contributing to the success of land clearance in Thai Hoa town is that construction began as soon as the land was cleared, ensuring the project's progress. At the same time, as soon as the people agreed to relocate, the People's Committee of the town, in coordination with the youth union members of the Town Military Command, helped the people move their belongings quickly and safely, so the people felt very reassured. With this decisive approach, by November 30, 2013, the land clearance work was completed, handed over to the contractor for construction, and is expected to be completed in the first six months of 2014.

Upon completion, this road will contribute to resolving traffic congestion, improving drainage, addressing flooding, enhancing the town's appearance, helping to alleviate population density in the central area, promoting land development, and attracting investors. Therefore, based on our observations in late February 2014, the N6 road was under construction very urgently, striving for completion ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, at the resettlement area located in Block 3, Long Son Ward, not far away, the infrastructure is basically complete, and residents are gradually settling into their new homes. Ms. Ho Thi Hoa, a resident of the resettlement area, happily stated: “When officials from the town and ward came to discuss the relocation plan, we completely agreed and voluntarily moved. During the implementation process, all of our family's requests were diligently addressed by the officials, who provided maximum support, so we have nothing to complain about. Now, seeing the new road gradually taking shape, creating a more spacious, clean, and beautiful urban landscape for Thai Hoa, I am very excited.” Mr. Le Minh Hung, another relocated resident, happily shared: “Our family's life in the resettlement area is gradually becoming stable because the infrastructure has been almost completely invested in. During the land clearance process, the officials also paid close attention to our wishes and rights, so our family is completely satisfied with the move.”

Speaking about the experience in land clearance work, Comrade Pham Van Thach – Vice Chairman of the Town People's Committee and Chairman of the Land Clearance Council – shared: “First of all, for land clearance work to be successful, government officials at all levels must thoroughly understand the work of mass mobilization. Each official must be truly close to the grassroots, close to the people, and understand their thoughts and aspirations. Adhering to this principle, officials and specialists of the Land Clearance Council regularly visit each household to work with the spirit of achieving the criteria of fairness, decisiveness, uniformity, and consensus to ensure both the rights of the people and the progress of the project. In addition, the resettlement site must also have the necessary infrastructure completed to welcome the people. Thanks to this, the land clearance work on the N6 road – one of the most difficult locations in the town – was completed very smoothly with high approval from the people.” Thanks to its people-oriented approach and commitment to the people's interests, many infrastructure projects in Thai Hoa have been able to complete land clearance quickly, ensuring the availability of construction sites, such as the Bau Sen Forest Park project and the main arterial road, contributing to the modern and attractive appearance of this urban area in northwestern Nghe An.

Thanh Duy