The National Highway 7A flood bypass project remains stalled.
(Baonghean.vn) – The Provincial People's Committee requested the investor of the Khe Bo hydropower plant to complete the flood bypass road project in Thach Giam commune before April 30, 2017. However, the project is still stalled to this day.
"Did the investor of the Khe Bo hydropower project break their promise to the people?"
The flood bypass project at Km147+500 on National Highway 7A is managed by the Khe Bo Hydropower Project Management Board. Construction began in 2010, but it remains unfinished to this day, causing numerous problems for people and vehicles using the road.
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| The flood bypass road on National Highway 7A as of May 8, 2017. Only one excavator is operating on the construction site. Photo: Nhat Lan |
On April 3, 2017, regarding the resolution of obstacles related to compensation, support, and resettlement for the Khe Bo Hydropower Project, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 2134/UBND-CN requesting that "Vietnam Power Development Joint Stock Company and the Khe Bo Hydropower Project Management Board must complete the upgrading and new construction of the section at Km 147+500 in Thach Giam commune before April 30, 2017".
However, to date, this project has essentially made no progress. On May 8, 2017, only a few pieces of construction equipment were present at the project site.
Regarding the implementation of the Provincial People's Committee's directives, in Official Letter No. 379/UBND-KT sent to the Provincial People's Committee and relevant agencies, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong District clearly stated: "As of May 5, 2017, the flood bypass road at Km147+500, on National Highway 7A, is still not completed; the construction progress is too slow, lacking machinery and equipment; construction is interrupted…".
Furthermore, the contractor's construction work on this project does not ensure the safety of people and vehicles participating in traffic; there are no traffic guards or traffic controllers, and no warning or security system for the construction site. Meanwhile, the two ends of the route lack bypass roads, are narrow, and pose a high risk of accidents; the steep embankment and weak geological conditions pose a significant risk of landslides…
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| National Highway 7A, at kilometer 147+500, is now narrowed and severely degraded. Photo: Nhat Lan |
Also in Official Document No. 379, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong District cited a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a local resident in 2015 in this area and requested the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Transport, and the Road Management Department II to pay attention to directing the investor and the construction unit to accelerate the progress; during construction, measures should be taken to regulate construction and provide warnings to ensure traffic safety and labor safety so that the project can be completed soon.
The Khe Bo Hydropower Plant project, with a total investment of 2,500 billion VND, was completed and put into operation in 2012. However, this is one of the hydropower projects with many outstanding issues and obstacles in compensation and resettlement support.
Nhat Lan - Viet Long
