Many difficulties in site clearance for North-South expressway through Hoang Mai town

The total land area expected to be recovered in Hoang Mai town is about 84.4 hectares; The total number of affected households is expected to be about 1,314 households; The number of affected land plots is about 2,055 plots; The total number of households to be relocated is about 151 households.

Up to now, after many efforts, the Town has issued 12 Decisions approving compensation plans and proceeded to pay households for agricultural land with a total amount of 94 billion VND. Committee 6 has continued to arrange 200 billion VND for land clearance and site clearance for Hoang Mai.

Dissemination of land clearance and relocation policies to resettlement areas in Quynh Vinh, Hoang Mai town. Photo: Tran Chau

Regarding the progress of construction of resettlement areas, Mr. Pham Van Hao, Head of the Town's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said: The town has measured the resettlement areas in Quynh Vinh commune of 10 hectares and Quynh Trang commune of 2 hectares.

In Quynh Vinh, 219 households were affected. The town has completed inventory, pricing, and approval for 100% of households; with an amount of 14.7 billion VND.

The resettlement area in Quynh Trang commune has an area of ​​2 hectares, 35 affected households in hamlets 1 and 2. Currently, the inventory, pricing, approval, and payment to all households with the amount of 3.3 billion VND have been completed.

Regarding the progress of public works: The town has conducted an initial survey to determine the relocation of 1 Quynh Vinh kindergarten (area 2,500m2) to the Quynh Vinh resettlement area, and made an initial inventory of power lines affected by the expressway project, including 1 110KV line; 4 35KV lines; 5 0.4KV power lines.

However, there are still many difficulties that need to be resolved: According to the direction of the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Transport, large-scale investment in infrastructure of resettlement areas is in the direction of new rural planning. However, Hoang Mai town is oriented to meet the criteria of a Type III urban area by 2025. Thus, if following the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, there will be problems because the investment in construction of resettlement areas is not synchronous (lack of lighting, wastewater, urban trees...) which will make it very difficult to mobilize people.

According to the urban planning of Hoang Mai until 2025, investment items in resettlement areas must meet the criteria of a type 3 urban area, while the limit for dividing land plots in the town is a maximum of 200 square meters (lower than in rural areas), making it difficult to mobilize people. There is currently no guidance on how the road surface in the resettlement area should be, whether concrete or asphalt, and each place does it differently....

Households subject to relocation in Quynh Trang declare compensation procedures for site clearance. Photo: Tran Chau

With such difficulties, it is feared that resettlement areas in the town will be implemented slowly, affecting the overall progress. The town also hopes that the Department of Transport will guide unified procedures to relocate public works and directly remove difficulties and obstacles in the locality.

The second difficulty is that currently the work of measuring the section through residential land and forestry land in Quynh Vinh commune has not been approved by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

It is known that currently, the Compensation, Support and Resettlement Council of the town is focusing on reviewing documents and continuing to sign the price of agricultural land of households in hamlets 12 and 13 of Quynh Trang commune; Reviewing the number of households that must be resettled to register and publicize the list. In addition, carrying out an inventory of assets, houses, structures, trees and crops of households in Quynh Vinh and Quynh Trang communes, preparing documents to move affected graves, conducting bidding for infrastructure construction packages of resettlement areas, etc.

The North-South Expressway project, the section through Nghe An is 87.84 km long, passing through Hoang Mai town and the districts of Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc and Hung Nguyen.

Map of the North-South Expressway section through Hoang Mai.