Resolving problems at Hua Na Hydropower project: Policies must be implemented correctly and sufficiently!

Under the 'light source' of Hua Na hydropower plant

(Baonghean) - There are still disagreements and people are too tired of waiting when the work of deducting the value of land use rights (LUR) in the Hua Na Hydropower Project was not completely resolved in 2019 as expected...

Provincial Fatherland Front Committee takes action

Ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of the people and stabilizing the people's situation before the Party Congresses at all levels is the goal set by the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee when supervising the compensation, support and resettlement work of the Hua Na Hydropower Project.
According to the representative of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, on May 8, 2020, the Fatherland Front Committee of Que Phong district sent a document to the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee requesting supervision of the implementation of compensation, support and resettlement of the Hua Na Hydropower Project; in which the focus is on supervising the calculation and deduction of land use right value between the departure and arrival places of this project.

Regarding the Hua Na hydropower project, which started construction in 2008, it affected 14 villages in the two communes of Thong Thu and Dong Van, with 1,362 households having to relocate and resettle. Of these, 878 households had to relocate to 13 resettlement villages. During the project implementation, the investor was supported by the authorities of Que Phong district and the two communes of Thong Thu and Dong Van; the people agreed to complete the relocation by July 2012, creating conditions for the project to be completed, and to officially generate electricity by February 2013.

However, after 13 years of project implementation, the investor has not yet completed the site clearance compensation; especially the very important items, related to people's lives such as reclaiming fields, deducting land use rights between the departure and destination places... Meanwhile, many infrastructure works at resettlement sites have degraded; people's lives still face many difficulties, the risk of falling back into poverty is high, causing consequences and social evils.

From the end of 2019 to now, through information channels from voters and the press, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee has also found that the compensation, support and resettlement work of the Hua Na Hydropower Project has had problems and obstacles. It is worth noting that there are signs that the causes of the problems and obstacles are due to the policy implementation advice of a number of relevant agencies.

Therefore, based on the provisions of law; based on the opinions and recommendations of voters; proposals and recommendations of the Fatherland Front Committee of Que Phong district, to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of people in the resettlement area of ​​the Hua Na Hydropower Project, as well as to ensure the stability of the people's situation before the Party Congresses at all levels, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee finds it necessary to supervise the compensation, support and resettlement work of the Hua Na Hydropower Project.

The Provincial Fatherland Front Committee has sent a document asking for opinions and has received approval from the Provincial Party Standing Committee to supervise the land compensation work of the Hua Na Hydropower Project. The subjects of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee's supervision are Hua Na Hydropower Joint Stock Company, Que Phong District People's Committee, Provincial People's Committee, Department of Natural Resources and Environment and a number of other relevant agencies. The implementation period is two months, June - July 2020...

The guidance of the General Department of Land Administration is inadequate!

It is known that, to discuss the solution to the problems in compensation and site clearance for the Hua Na hydropower project, on May 15, 2020, the Provincial People's Committee held a meeting chaired by the Standing Committee Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu. On May 28, 2020, the Provincial People's Committee issued Notice No. 277/TB-UBND announcing the conclusion of the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee at this meeting.
In Notice No. 277/TB-UBND, it is stated that: The Hua Na Hydropower Project in Que Phong District, invested by Hua Na Hydropower Joint Stock Company, has been agreed by the people to hand over the site for implementation (construction started at the end of March 2008, and put into operation in the first quarter of 2013). However, after 13 years of project implementation, site clearance compensation has not been completed, affecting the rights of households. The delay in site clearance compensation is the responsibility of the People's Committee of Que Phong District, Hua Na Hydropower Joint Stock Company and provincial departments and branches that have not promptly urged and guided the removal of difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process.

Regarding the current problems, the General Department of Land Administration - Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has instructed on handling in Official Dispatch No. 708/TCQLDD-CKTPTQD dated April 7, 2020, however, compared with Article 10 of the Land Law, the handling is still inadequate. Therefore, to handle compensation and support in accordance with the provisions of law, ensuring the rights of households affected by the project, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is assigned, based on the proposed report of the People's Committee of Que Phong district, based on the provisions of law, to advise the Provincial People's Committee to ask for the Government's opinion as a basis for implementation.

Things to say

Grasping information from the People's Committee of Que Phong district, after receiving Notice No. 277/TB-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee, the district focused on building a proposal report. "The district is very careful to carefully review, not omitting legal regulations, policies for people in the area implementing the irrigation and hydropower projects that the central and provincial governments have issued, to build a detailed report, clearly stating the issue in accordance with the spirit of Notice No. 277/TB-UBND. Through that, the superior agencies will consider and completely resolve the long-standing problems at the Hua Na Hydropower Project. Regarding the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee's supervision, the district has also fully prepared all relevant documents since the inception of the Hua Na Hydropower Project, to organize a research front, to have the most accurate and objective assessment..." - Mr. Le Van Giap, Chairman of the People's Committee of Que Phong district, discussed.

Regarding the backlog and difficulties in compensation work at the Hua Na hydropower project, from the end of 2019 until now, from studying the practical life of people in the resettlement area and related documents, Nghe An Newspaper has published many articles. Also from studying the provisions of the law, the implementation of the forestry land allocation project in the province..., it is found that the plan to deduct land use rights between the departure and destination places as instructed by the General Department of Land Management (handling the difference in the value of agricultural land allocated with the value of recovered agricultural land as prescribed in Clause 5, Article 5 of Decision No. 64/2014/QD-TTG is determined according to the total value of agricultural land at the departure place with the total value of agricultural land at the destination place - Document 708/TCQLDD-CKTTPTQD dated April 7, 2020) is too inappropriate, affecting the legitimate rights and interests of households.

To have a solution from the competent authority to replace the "instructions" of the General Department of Land Management, frankly, is a difficult problem, takes more time, and affects the reputation of the province. From this reality, it is necessary to rectify the work of advising on policy implementation. So that the policy is implemented correctly and sufficiently, ensuring the legitimate and legal rights and interests of the people!

The rice fields that the investor of Hua Na hydropower project handed over to the people of Huoi Cha La resettlement area 2 years ago but the productivity is low. Photo: Nhat Lan