Land clearance for National Highway 7 upgrade project: Continues to miss deadlines
(Baonghean.vn) - Although the Provincial People's Committee has assigned localities where the Project passes through to urgently complete site clearance to hand over to the contractor for construction in March, by early April, many sections on National Highway 7 still have site clearance issues that cannot be resolved.
MANY BOTTOM LINES
ProjectUpgrading National Highway 7, section Km0-Km36and handling landslides caused by storms and floods on the Khe Thoi - Nam Can section was approved by the Ministry of Transport in Decision No. 333/QD-BGTVT dated March 18, 2022, with a total investment of more than 1,300 billion VND. Of which, the renovated and upgraded section from Dien Chau to Do Luong has a total length of 36km.
The project is divided into 3 construction packages, with a total value of 778,724 billion VND (including contingency costs). After completing the renovation and upgrading, it promises to connect localities on National Highway 7 with the North-South Expressway. At the same time, it will improve the exploitation capacity on the transport corridor from Nam Can International Border Gate to the coastal provinces of the Central region, creating a great driving force in the socio-economic development of the province.
In Dien Chau, right at the starting point of the project, one of the important items of this project is the railway overpass passing through Dien Phuc commune. According to the design, this overpass has 2 lanes, 8 spans, however, up to now, due to problems in site clearance, the construction unit has only been able to install some beams on the eastern abutment, while the western abutment of the railway has not been completed yet.
Mr. Le Manh Hien - Vice Chairman of Dien Chau District People's Committee said: In the past time, the locality has accelerated the implementation of site clearance work. However, there are still some problems that cannot be handed over. Particularly for the problems at the foot of the railway overpass, the district is currently actively mobilizing and dialogue with households to soon hand over the site.
However, according to Mr. Hien, the biggest difficulty for areas that have not been cleared is the determination of land origin, which has gone through many periods and many times of land allocation. Especially in the past, localities allocated land without authority but did not clearly determine the coordinates and plot shape. Some households demanded support and compensation values that exceeded the regulations and policy framework of the State.
In Yen Thanh, including both left and right sides of the route, the project has a total length of 27.774km, passing through 5 communes: Vinh Thanh, Vien Thanh, Bao Thanh, Cong Thanh and My Thanh. After a period of propaganda and land clearance, up to now, there are still nearly 2km stuck in land clearance and have not been handed over.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee said that in localities where the project passes through, the District Land Clearance Council, in addition to responding in writing to questions and recommendations, has also organized dialogues with households. However, many households have not yet agreed to sign the documents handing over the site to the construction unit and dismantling materials and structures on the route. Many households request compensation for the encroached land, as well as compensation for assets formed after July 1, 2004. Many households and individuals also request compensation for land located within the road protection space (land that is not granted a Certificate of Land Use Rights and does not have to fulfill financial obligations); as well as compensation for previously dug-up land... These issues are outside the framework of State regulations, and despite being explained and mobilized many times, people still do not comply.
Most recently, on April 2, 2024, the Yen Thanh District Compensation and Site Clearance Council continued to dialogue with households in Cong Thanh Commune (for the second time). Although this is one of the economic and social development centers of Yen Thanh District, and is being oriented to be built into Van Tu Town. However, due to difficulties in site clearance, the traffic infrastructure in this area is still very shabby. It is known that in the coming time, the Yen Thanh District People's Committee will continue to mobilize and dialogue with households who do not agree.
In particular, in Do Luong district, there are still 2 most problematic locations: the household of Mr. Nguyen Tat Thuong (Van Yen hamlet, Hoa Son commune), and the cluster of 9 households and a gas station in Luu Dien hamlet, Luu Son commune (right at the foot of Do Luong bridge). Up to this point, the People's Committee of Do Luong district has had to conduct compulsory enforcement of the household of Mr. Nguyen Tat Thuong, while the 9 households in Luu Son commune are planning and submitting a construction protection plan, waiting for the competent authority to approve, then enforcement and construction protection will be carried out. Although the local government has actively promoted and mobilized, the households have not complied.
CONTINUE TO MISS APPOINTMENTS
It can be seen that the delay in handing over the site not only affects the progress of the project. This also causes people in the area where the site has not been cleared to suffer from dust and flooding; vehicles also face many difficulties in traveling on this route.
In particular, the local authorities' instructions and commitments on the deadline for handing over the site to the project management unit were also not implemented. Specifically, on February 28, 2024, Comrade Le Hong Vinh - Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired a working session on reviewing the site clearance, resettlement, relocation of technical infrastructure works and other work related to this project. At this working session, after listening to the reports of the leaders of the People's Committees of Dien Chau, Yen Thanh and Do Luong districts, Comrade Le Hong Vinh directed the localities where the project passes through to continue to mobilize the entire political system to participate, propagate and mobilize organizations and individuals about the importance and significance of the project; compensation, support, resettlement and site clearance policies of the project.
In particular, the People's Committee of Dien Chau district is required to review the remaining procedures to urgently complete the site clearance work on the main route before March 30, 2024. For the remaining locations, it is necessary to review the legal procedures to organize construction protection. At the foot of the North-South railway overpass through Dien Phuc commune, it is required to review related documents and verify the reality to handle the issue of pending land use right certificates to the people.
For Yen Thanh district, it is necessary to review legal procedures to develop a plan and organize construction protection for the section passing through My Thanh commune, as well as resolutely direct the work of mobilizing households to hand over the site, especially for households that have agreed to receive money. All tasks will be completed in March 2024.
In Do Luong, the organization will review the final procedures, publicize the plan and organize construction protection to hand over the site in March 2024 for 9 households in Luu Son commune. In addition, the organization will enforce the counting and develop a construction protection plan for the case of Mr. Nguyen Tat Thuong's family in Hoa Son commune in March 2024.
However, the March deadline as directed by the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee could not be achieved. This inadvertently caused the project's progress to be delayed. According to the representative of Project Management Board 4, this project was expected to be completed by the end of 2023, but by the end of the first quarter of 2024 it had not been completed.
Obviously, with the importance of the Project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 7, section Km0-Km36, and to handle landslides caused by storms and floods in the Khe Thoi - Nam Can section, it is time for local authorities to be more determined in site clearance. Because if they continue to miss the deadline, it will greatly affect the strictness of the law, affect the reputation of local authorities, as well as the interests of households who have voluntarily taken the lead in handing over the site.
