Con Cuong: 10.5 km of road project delayed for over 2 years.

(Baonghean) - More than two years have passed since the expected completion date, but the road connecting Mau Duc commune to Thach Ngan commune in Con Cuong district, over 10 km long, remains unfinished, much to the anticipation of the local people.

This road is designed according to the standards of a Class VI mountain road (TCVN 4054-2005), with a roadbed width of 6m, a road surface width of 3.5m, and a total length of 10.5 km. The total investment for this project is nearly 53 billion VND. The approved construction schedule is 18 months, starting on November 14, 2011 and ending on May 14, 2013.

To date, the construction unit has only completed 2.1 km in Thach Ngan commune, which has been handed over and put into use. In Mau Duc commune, only 11 out of 17 culvert locations have been completed; the remaining work, including 6 culvert locations, roadbed, road surface foundation, and traffic safety measures, has yet to be done.

The Mau Duc - Thach Ngan inter-communal road passes through many hilly and mountainous areas, thus playing a vital role in the lives of the local people.

In many places, the old dirt roads have deteriorated, making travel very difficult, while the construction of new roads is progressing slowly. Photo taken in Ke Me village, Mau Duc commune, Con Cuong district on the morning of October 16, 2015.

Meanwhile, the old dirt road has deteriorated, making travel and trade very difficult for people in Mau Duc and Thach Ngan communes, especially during the rainy season. Many sections of the road are severely muddy and slippery.

The family of Mr. Lang Van Nam, from Ke Me village, Mau Duc commune, owns 2 hectares of acacia trees and over 1 hectare of cassava, but every harvest season they struggle with transportation problems due to the deteriorated roads. “The difficulty in transporting agricultural and forestry products drives up investment costs, significantly impacting income. Besides affecting our livelihoods, it also makes it difficult for the children in these villages to get to school,” Mr. Nam said.

Mr. Lo Van That, Chairman of the Mau Duc Commune People's Committee, said: "Voters have repeatedly requested that the construction progress be accelerated, but the commune's only solution is to mobilize internal resources and seek support from the district to temporarily repair the deteriorated sections. The commune has to carry out road repairs an average of 2-3 times a year."

In response to this situation, the communes had to mobilize residents to collect sand and gravel to reinforce the deteriorated sections of road to facilitate travel for the people during the rainy season and floods. Photo taken in Ke Trang village, Mau Duc commune on the morning of October 16, 2015.

Mr. Ngan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thach Ngan commune, said: "Every time commune officials go to the Con Cuong district center for meetings, they have to travel back to Anh Son before following National Highway 7 to Con Cuong town. Besides that, the prices of agricultural products are also manipulated by traders. Hopefully, this road project will be restarted and completed soon to create more convenient conditions for people to travel."

Currently, the biggest challenge is the enormous investment capital required for the project, while the annual budget allocation is too low, and no funds are allocated for land clearance, leading to delays in implementation. To date, the total allocated and disbursed funds for the project amount to only over 14.8 billion VND out of a total investment of nearly 53 billion VND.

Residents of Mau Duc commune, Con Cuong district, are focusing on reinforcing the road foundation.

The people of Mau Duc commune are clearing drainage ditches to prevent flooding on the road during the rainy season.

The people of Mau Duc commune also cleared the drainage ditches on both sides of the road.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Head of the Investment and Construction Project Management Board of Con Cuong District, said: The project was implemented based on surplus revenue from the province. In recent years, this surplus revenue has ceased to exist, so the project has not been allocated funding since 2012. The project has also not been included by the Provincial People's Committee in the annual centralized budget allocation of the province.

"Given the above situation, Con Cuong district proposes that the Provincial People's Committee include the project in the priority list of the medium-term public investment plan 2015-2020, using the provincial budget for concentrated capital construction allocated annually, to provide a basis for continued implementation," Mr. Tuan said.

Nhat Le