The over 3.5 trillion VND project in Vinh aims to open the road before Tet.

(Baonghean) - During a recent inspection of the Vinh New Urban Sub-project, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien requested Vinh City and Hung Nguyen District to focus on opening the roads before Tet (Lunar New Year).

The bright spots

Hung Dong commune (Vinh City) is a leading commune in land clearance for the Vinh - Hung Tay road, a small project under the Vinh Urban Sub-project. With decisive and rapid implementation, in a short time, 172 households affected by the project relinquished their land for the new road to move to resettlement areas and build new lives. It is difficult to describe the hardships of these households when they left their familiar villages of many years, now having to rent houses; many families had to endure living in makeshift tents in the fields for a whole year while building their new homes.

At that time, when we visited some households, in hastily erected tents filled with cluttered belongings, we even saw altars for recently deceased relatives... A rapid revolution took place in Hung Dong, where in just a few months, the once lush green villages were reduced to rubble and ruins. Those initial hardships have now been justly compensated by the well-built resettlement areas in Trung Thuan, Yen Binh, and Mai Loc hamlets (Hung Dong).

The entire political system, from the city to the communes and villages, has been actively involved in accelerating the project's progress. Mr. Tran Anh Tan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Dong commune, shared: "We completed land clearance and handed it over to the city on December 31, 2016. To date, more than 50 households have built spacious and clean resettlement houses. The infrastructure here was initially low-lying, farmland, but it has been improved. A new life is beginning, and everyone feels it's better than their old homes."

Construction of the overpass bridge across the Ke Gai River is a component of the Vinh Urban Sub-project. Photo: Chau Lan.

Not only in Hung Dong, but also in Vinh City, the Vinh Suburban Project spans many communes and wards of the city. Hung Hoa commune is also one of the localities that completed land clearance for the 35m road quite early.

The commune was praised for its good coordination with the Land Development Center, the Project Management Board, and local households in carrying out effective ideological work and land clearance for the construction contractor. As a result, the 35m road through Hung Hoa has now been completed, paved with asphalt, and runs straight to Nghi An, Vinh City, connecting to National Highway 46.

In Hung Hoa commune, 150 households were affected, and most handed over their land to the city by May 2017. Each relocated family received an average compensation of about 1 billion VND. In addition, some households still retained land and some capital for business, so overall, everyone was pleased. Therefore, the resettlement area for the 35-meter road in Hung Hoa now boasts many beautiful houses and is located near the 35-meter road, potentially facilitating future business expansion for residents.

Mr. Tran Huy Loi, a pioneer in giving up land and receiving compensation for the 35-meter road project in Hung Hoa commune, said: "After being informed and briefed about the road construction, my family and I discussed and agreed to hand over 260 square meters of land to the project starting from September 30, 2016, as the first phase."

Thanks to the active efforts and support of the people, the land along the entire route in Vinh City is now basically ready for contractors to start construction. The 35-meter road, the regulating lake, and the 72-meter road section through Quan Bau, part of the Vinh - Hung Tay 72-meter road project, are gradually nearing completion.

There are still obstacles.

The Vinh Urban Sub-project, funded by the World Bank, is of significant importance to Vinh City in particular and Nghe An province in general. The project has been extended several times due to delays in many components.

A major artery is the 72m wide road connecting Vinh and Hung Nguyen, starting from Quan Bau (Vinh City) and running straight to the developing VSIP industrial and service urban area. This axis is crucial for connecting Vinh City with Hung Nguyen district, especially with the VSIP industrial park.

While the section passing through Vinh City has seen some bottlenecks gradually resolved thanks to the efforts of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial and City People's Committees, the Vinh-Hung Tay road in Hung Nguyen District remains a significant challenge.

Specifically, in Vac hamlet, 4 households have been relocated but are still obstructing construction. In Nam Phuc Long hamlet (Hung Tay), 21 out of 63 households have not yet received compensation because they are requesting that the Nguyen Van Be road be completed before accepting compensation for land clearance. Regarding this issue, Comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee - has inspected the site and agreed that the province will allocate funds to rebuild the Nguyen Van Be road (adjacent to the VSIP industrial park) as requested by the local people. Currently, construction is underway in Hung Nguyen, but progress is slow.

The 35-meter road connecting Hung Hoa commune and National Highway 46 is about to be opened to traffic. Photo: Tran Chau

For the overpass project on the 72m road, being constructed by the joint venture of Thuan An Construction and Trade Development Joint Stock Company and Truong Son Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, 2,389/3,198 meters (75%) of bored piles have been drilled; and 477 meters of bridge piers have been concreted.³Progress has also been slowed down due to heavy rain and flooding.

In addition, the city reports that the construction progress of the regulating reservoir project has reached approximately 75%, while about 82% of the planned time has been spent, including the time for preparation. The slow progress necessitates a more urgent approach after the floodwaters recede.

The project to upgrade and renovate the drainage ditch around Vinh Ancient Citadel (the contractor is the joint venture of Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd. and Thinh Hung Company) is also one of the bottlenecks of the Vinh urban sub-project. According to the schedule, the project should have been completed by April 30, 2017; however, currently in Cua Nam ward, there are still 5 households that have not been relocated.

During a site inspection of the entire route on October 25th, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien commended Vinh City and the contractors for their active construction and ensuring progress after the floods in some projects. At the same time, he also criticized Hung Nguyen district for its delays in land clearance, despite repeated commitments.

Comrade Huynh Thanh Dien requested that Hung Nguyen district provide decisive direction to complete the construction of Nguyen Van Be road and resolve all obstacles in the area, creating conditions for the 72m road and many other items of the Vinh urban sub-project to be open by the Lunar New Year 2018.

Chau Lan