Hoang Mai Town residents "live in misery" next to a slow-progressing project

People's concerns

According to the planning of the Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant project, it is located in Tan Minh and Dong Minh villages, Quynh Lap commune, and according to the project plan, nearly 200 households in the project area will be relocated.

Mr. Hoang Van Dong (Tan Minh village) said: Around 2010, when there was a plan to build Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant, most families in the village were always in a state of insecurity. His family had 4 children who were married, but Quynh Lap commune did not allow them to separate their household registration or land titles. Many other households were also confused about the separation of titles and compensation.

After 5 years of construction, resettlement area 2 in Tam Hop village with an area of ​​60 hectares is still in disarray. Photo: Lam Tung

According to the people, if they move to the resettlement area, they will face many difficulties in getting used to new production practices. Mr. Tran Xuan Quang, who has been working in ship repair and building for nearly 20 years in Tan Minh village, shared: The family's life depends on the work of building and repairing ships for the people. Currently, the family is doing very well and also wants to expand production, but because of the unfinished Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant project, the family does not know which direction to go.

In response to concerns from many people in Tan Minh village, Mr. Ho Sy Hoang - Secretary of the Tan Minh Commune Party Committee said: Previously, when the project first broke ground, the project side and authorities at all levels held meetings almost every month about site clearance. However, now there is no movement? The people of Tan Minh village have been "living in agony" waiting for many years.

Will speed up the construction of resettlement areas

To serve the Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Project, according to the project plan, nearly 200 households in the project area will be relocated to 2 resettlement areas. Resettlement Area 1 is designed to be 20 hectares in Tan Long village (Quynh Lap commune) and Resettlement Area 2 is designed to be 60 hectares in Tam Hop village (Quynh Lap commune).

Mr. Ho Sy Hoang - Secretary of Quynh Lap commune said: The implementation of resettlement area construction is very slow. Resettlement area 1 started construction in 2013, but after 5 years, the site clearance work has only been about 3 hectares and the items are still unfinished. As for resettlement area 2, it is divided into 2 phases: phase 1 construction is 11.5 hectares, however, since the start of construction in 2011, only 4 hectares have been cleared and the items are still not in progress.

Households working in shipbuilding and seafaring here are very concerned about having to change their occupations and production practices when having to relocate. Photo: Lam Tung

According to the reporter's records, both resettlement areas are currently under construction. Resettlement Area 1 is completing some roads while Resettlement Area 2 has not yet implemented much, all items seem to have just begun.

Besides the construction of the horizontal bridge, many people said that resettlement area 2 in Tam Hop village, Quynh Lap commune is about 500m from the beach, but this beach area is not favorable for fishing because of deep water and big waves.

Many vacant lots do not dare to build on because of the project's unfinished status. Photo: Lam Tung

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Vo Van Dung - Secretary of the Hoang Mai Town Party Committee said: "The concerns of the people are well-founded. In the coming time, the town will direct the acceleration of the construction of resettlement areas so that when there is a policy, people will soon settle down in new housing. Secondly, regarding the issue of social security and job conversion for resettled people, the town is focusing on attracting projects to create jobs for people, especially prioritizing the recruitment of people affected by the project.

Besides, the town and related sectors are concerned about ensuring the environment for people around the project area. This is a vital factor in the sustainable development of thermal power. Therefore, the town and related sectors are currently requesting the investor to change the technology when implementing the construction of Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant, that is, using gas-fired thermal power instead of coal-fired thermal power.