Nghi Lien, joy returns…

Good news came to the people of hamlets 9, 10, 17 of Nghi Lien commune at the end of January 2018. It was the time when Vinh City People's Committee, together with Division 371, Air Defense - Air Force and relevant agencies completed the review and inventory of the entire scope of national defense land planning according to Decision No. 197/TTg dated April 1, 1997 of the Prime Minister; there was Official Dispatch No. 509/UBND-QLDT reporting to the Provincial People's Committee the results of the review and proposed adjustment of national defense land in the Vinh airport area.

It affirms that residential land, garden land, production land, cemetery land, relic land... with a total area of ​​162.26 hectares that people in hamlets 9, 10, 17 are managing and using do not dispute with national defense land.

Hamlet 17, Nghi Lien commune is bright and clean on Lunar New Year 2018. Photo by Nhat Lan

The reason for reviewing and counting the entire defense land planning according to Decision 197 needs to be recalled in July 2017, when the consulting unit publicly announced the draft detailed zoning plan of Nghi Lien commune to collect public comments.

Since learning about this project, the people of the three hamlets have been very concerned, worried, then frustrated, and had their lives disrupted. Because in the planning draft, the names of the three hamlets 9, 10, and 17 no longer exist.

Instead, residential land, garden land, production land... that the people of the 3 hamlets were using stably, passed down from their ancestors for many generations, were suddenly transformed, becoming "military-managed land", included in the expansion plan of Vinh Airport (approved in Decision 347/QD-BGTVT dated January 29, 2015 of the Ministry of Transport and Communications).

Recalling this story at the moment of Lunar New Year 2018 approaching, the representative of the people, Mr. Le Ngoc Nam and the officials of the 3 hamlets said that the people here have a firm belief that the right thing belongs to them.

Therefore, despite concerns and frustrations, it is necessary to resolve this issue in accordance with the law. That is the recommendation for competent authorities and sectors to clarify.

Mr. Le Ngoc Nam said: “Our ancestors have lived on this land for generations. On this land, in addition to houses, gardens, and fields of hundreds of households with over 2,000 people, there are also historical and cultural relics recognized by the State. These are clear evidences. The land issue of the people of the 3 hamlets was clarified by the Provincial People's Committee in 2010, as shown in document No. 1316…”.

And Mr. Nam happily talked about the results of the land review and inventory that the authorities had carried out: “No one wants to have to verify and clarify the land issue again. But the results of the review have proven that the people's petitions are correct. Moreover, this review and inventory is like a land inspection.

In addition to the city government, the authorities also included Division 371, Air Defense - Air Force, Vinh Airport Base Battalion. Therefore, the results of this review are more reliable and legal than before so that the competent authorities can consider adjusting and thoroughly resolving the concerns of the people in Decision 347 of the Ministry of Transport and Communications…”.

Entrance gate to the provincial historical and cultural relic of Le family temple in Nghi Lien commune, Vinh city. Photo by Nhat Lan

According to Official Dispatch No. 509 of Vinh City People's Committee, the review and inventory will be carried out in detail for each land plot in the entire scope of national defense land planning according to Decision 197. In order to clearly classify: land managed and used by national defense units; land managed and used by the people, not in dispute; land not clearly defined for national defense and civil use.

The review and counting were carried out by an interdisciplinary review team consisting of the Vinh Airport Base Battalion and the Commune People's Committee, under the professional guidance of the Vinh City People's Committee and the 371st Air Defense - Air Force Division.

Through review and counting, the total land area within the national defense land planning scope is 327.76 hectares. Of which, the land of people and organizations is being managed and used stably, without any dispute with the military, with an area of ​​162.26 hectares (including agricultural land 119.04 hectares, residential land 37.96 hectares, business land 1.47 hectares, educational land 2.48 hectares, pagoda land 0.81 hectares, land for family churches 0.19 hectares, historical relic land 0.31 hectares); the military land is being used and managed with an area of ​​114.07 hectares (including airport battalion barracks, aviation service land, airport land, etc.); the ununified land has an area of ​​12.41 hectares (the cadastral survey map shows that it is managed by Nghi Lien Commune People's Committee but is currently being used by Vinh Airport Base Group); Other types of land (unused land, traffic land, irrigation land...) have an area of ​​39.02 hectares.

Based on the results of the review and inventory, the Vinh City People's Committee proposed that the Provincial People's Committee submit a document to the Ministry of National Defense and the Prime Minister to adjust Decision 197, which determines the current status of defense land in the Vinh airport area according to the above review results. The Ministry of National Defense is requested to consider the need for defense land planning, and if not necessary, remove the land area that people are managing and using from the defense land planning.

After adjusting the national defense land planning, it is recommended that the Provincial People's Committee submit a document to the Ministry of Transport and Communications to adjust the Vinh airport planning approved in Decision 347 in the direction of limiting people's movement but still ensuring the development of Vinh airport to serve economic, social development and national defense and security...

Temple of the ancestor of the Le family in Nghi Lien commune, Vinh city (provincial historical and cultural relic). Photo: Nhat Lan

Also evaluating the information in Official Dispatch No. 509 of Vinh City People's Committee, with Mr. Le Van Tung - Chairman of the Le Family Council of Nghi Lien Commune (the family has a church and a tomb area that is a provincial-level historical and cultural relic located in the Vinh Airport expansion plan), what is shown in this document "affirms the land ownership rights of the people of 3 hamlets 9, 10, 17".

Mr. Le Van Tung excitedly said: "Official dispatch No. 509 and the results of the review and counting work reaching the people of the 3 hamlets before the Lunar New Year 2018 is truly good news, helping people to relieve their worries and concerns that have been bothering them for a long time."