Donating land for road construction in Nghi Lam (Nghi Loc)
(Baonghean)We visited Nghi Lam, Nghi Loc in late May, amidst the hustle and bustle of the harvest season, following the Secretary of Hamlet 4, Nguyen Dinh Hung, to visit the family of Mr. and Mrs. Tran Van Lien and Nguyen Thi Hoa. Looking at their old, single-story house with an earthen floor, no one would have guessed that this is one of the exemplary households that has donated the most land in the new rural development program of Nghi Lam commune.
Mr. Lien and Mrs. Hoa were preparing to harvest rice when they saw visitors. They happily went back inside, quickly poured a bowl of rich, golden green tea to offer their guests, and excitedly said: "We always agree with and support the Party and State's policy of building new rural areas. After discussing it, my wife and I agreed to donate 74 square meters of garden land, including the livestock facilities, so that the hamlet could complete the plan assigned by the commune. Mr. Lien's family believes that opening a large road right next to our house will benefit us first, then the whole hamlet and the whole commune will benefit. Moreover, wider roads will create conditions for economic development, trade, and make travel easier during the rainy and dry seasons."
According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Hamlet 4 is one of the hamlets with the largest amount of land and structures donated by residents in the commune (938.8 m²). To gain the people's consensus, hamlet officials conducted public and democratic propaganda, clearly explaining the purpose and significance of opening the road and the benefits it would bring to the people's economic development. Afterward, the hamlet's New Rural Development Steering Committee visited each family along the road to be widened to encourage and explain the process, leading to their voluntary land donation. Once the residents agreed, the hamlet chose a day to simultaneously dismantle structures for each household and contribute labor to rebuild the embankment for those in need. Using a method of cleaning up as they went along, the 1 km long, 6 m wide road was completed in just one month, much to the delight of the residents.
Not only Mr. Lien's family but also many other families in Nghi Lam enthusiastically responded to this major initiative. In the two years of implementing the national target program for building new rural areas, through various forms of propaganda, encouragement, and motivation, Nghi Lam mobilized people to donate 10,891.7 m2 of garden land and rural construction projects (including 9,516.0 m2 of garden land; 831.0 m2 of embankment structures; and 544.7 m2 of livestock pens and other structures), with an estimated total value of 1,858,852 thousand VND. In addition, the people of Nghi Lam also voluntarily donated 16.1 hectares of agricultural land, with a total value of 7,419,018 thousand VND, for the construction of irrigation and transportation infrastructure within the fields. Thanks to this, Nghi Lam has constructed 6,851.5m of concrete roads (including 5,477m of Class A roads, 754m of Class B roads, and 620m of Class C roads) with road widths ranging from 5m to 8m, ensuring convenient access for 8-10 ton trucks transporting construction materials, agricultural products, and other goods. In addition, 268 irrigation lines have been completed, with a total length of 45,636m and a volume of 44,399m³.
Mr. Tran Van Lien and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, along with the section of road that their family donated land for.
Mr. Tran Van Binh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi Lam commune, said: In recent years, thanks to dynamic economic development, Nghi Lam, once a purely agricultural area, has seen the emergence of various service industries. As a result, the average income at the end of 2012 reached 19.8 million VND/person/year. With economic development, movements such as "All people unite to build a cultured life in residential areas" have received more attention from the people. To date, Nghi Lam has 15 out of 19 cultural hamlets; 82% of families have achieved the title of "Cultured Family". All three levels of education (preschool, primary, and secondary) have met national standards in phase 1 and are striving to meet national standards in phase 2.
With the goal of completing 19 criteria for new rural development by 2015, Nghi Lam is currently implementing a comprehensive set of plans, including: developing a project to build a memorial monument for martyrs, a multi-functional building for the primary school, and a commune health station; directing the construction of 100 houses for poor households and some households with dilapidated houses needing repair; continuing to mobilize resources to build 5-10km of grade A and B concrete roads... with a total investment of 25 billion VND (60% contributed by the people in terms of money and labor; 40% from the national target program for new rural development)... Hopefully, with the Party's will aligning with the people's aspirations, Nghi Lam will soon achieve its goals, worthy of the title of the first Cultural Commune of Nghi Loc district, a Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces, and the Third-Class Labor Medal awarded by the Party and State.
Text and photos: Thanh Thủy
