Land clearance for the 72m road: When the people agree.

(Baonghean) - The Vinh - Hung Tay 72m road construction project, part of the Vinh Urban Development Sub-project funded by the World Bank (WTO), is one of the key projects of the province and city. To meet the project's deadline as committed to the donor, Vinh City has focused on various solutions and mobilized the entire political system. Notably, given the importance of the project, hundreds of households in Hung Dong commune have agreed to dismantle their structures and houses, handing over the land to the contractor for construction.

The family of Mr. Dau Ngoc Toan, residing in Trung Thuan hamlet, Hung Dong commune (Vinh City), is one of the households subject to land clearance for the construction of the 72m Vinh - Hung Tay road project. Recognizing this as a key road contributing to the transformation of the urban landscape and facilitating local socio-economic development, they decided to proceed with the project.

After being informed and persuaded by city authorities at all levels, he fully agreed with the compensation and resettlement plans. He hired machinery to demolish two houses in two different locations, including a two-story house and a single-story house, with a total area of ​​1,350 square meters.²to hand over the site to the construction unit.

Mr. Dau Ngoc Toan shared: "Regarding the policies of the Party and the State, my family completely agrees. My family has received resettlement land and compensation for land clearance. After demolishing our house, we will build a new house in the resettlement area to stabilize our lives."

Houses are being demolished to clear the land for the construction of the 72m Vinh - Hung Tay road.

In Hung Dong commune, there are currently 177 households in four hamlets—Trung Thuan, Trung Tien, Mai Loc, and Yen Binh—that are subject to land clearance for the construction of the 72m Vinh - Hung Tay road project. Over the past period, the city has coordinated with local authorities and relevant departments to establish four working groups that regularly monitor the area and engage with the people to disseminate information, mobilize support, and provide assistance to residents.

With the decisive involvement of the entire political system, over 170 households have now received compensation and are organizing the demolition of their structures and houses to hand over the land. The city has also established teams to be constantly present in the four hamlets, and mobilized machinery and equipment to support the simultaneous demolition of houses by the residents. For the remaining households, the commune is focusing on persuading them to hand over the land to the construction unit as soon as possible.

However, the land clearance process in Hung Dong commune currently faces several obstacles, such as: Resettlement areas are still under construction, thus failing to build trust among residents. Arranging temporary housing or rental accommodations for residents before the completion of resettlement areas is very difficult because the people of Hung Dong are primarily engaged in agriculture and have many means of production.

Mr. Tran Anh Tan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Dong commune (Vinh City), said: Faced with these difficulties, the commune has facilitated the people in accordance with the State's policy by providing financial assistance for house rentals and manpower for dismantling houses and transporting belongings and assets. The commune has also requested the city to complete the resettlement areas soon, and for those already completed, to invest in electricity and clean water systems so that people can feel secure in their new homes.

The Vinh - Hung Tay 72m road construction project, with a total value of over US$21.5 million, comprises three construction packages passing through the communes of Quan Bau and Hung Dong (Vinh City) and Hung Tay commune (Hung Nguyen district). The project commenced in January 2016 and was committed to completion by June 2017, according to the donor's agreement. To date, the project has completed 60% of its planned timeframe, but construction progress has only reached 30% due to unresolved land clearance issues.

Given this situation, in recent times, especially in the last months of 2016, the city has focused on the issue decisively, holding weekly meetings of the steering committee to review experiences, assigning specific responsibilities to each member to closely monitor the area, and establishing mobilization teams to promptly support the people. To date, most residents in Hung Dong have voluntarily dismantled their houses and handed over the land to the construction unit. However, currently, there are still some obstacles on the 72m road in the area bordering Mai Hac De road (Quan Bau ward) and Hung Tay commune (Hung Nguyen district), so the road cannot yet be fully opened.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung, Director of the Vinh Urban Development Project Management Board: Numerous difficulties and obstacles in land clearance have affected the progress of the 72m road project. Although the city and relevant departments have taken decisive action, the bottlenecks in land clearance have yet to be resolved. Therefore, decisive action from all levels and sectors, along with the consensus and cooperation of the people, is urgently needed.

According to the commitment with the donor, failure to complete the 72m road project by the deadline will affect the progress of the Vinh urban development sub-project and significantly increase the risk of funding being cut by the donor. It is clear that completing the project will not only facilitate socio-economic development and transform the urban landscape but also contribute to improving the living standards of the local population. At this time, we earnestly hope for the cooperation of the people to help the city complete land clearance and accelerate the project's progress according to the assigned schedule.

Vo Huyen