Vinh City: Many projects are behind schedule.

(Baonghean) - In Vinh City, many investment and construction projects are being implemented. Besides completed projects that have proven effective, many others are behind schedule, or even not implemented at all despite land allocation, causing land waste and affecting the lives, production, and livelihoods of the people.

Decades ago, the residents of Hoa Lam hamlet, Hung Hoa commune, Vinh City, were delighted when the emergency relocation project for Hoa Lam residents from disaster-prone areas was approved. The project, with a total investment of over 36.6 billion VND, was managed by the Nghe An Rural Development Sub-Department and aimed to build resettlement areas to relocate Hoa Lam residents from a region frequently threatened by floods and storms.

However, many years have passed, and the project remains on paper. Meanwhile, 78 households with nearly 250 people live in constant anxiety, facing the danger of being swept away by floodwaters whenever heavy rains occur. Mr. Dau Van Lap, from Hoa Lam hamlet, shared: “We always live in worry, especially when it rains and floods come. The water flows heavily, and our houses are dilapidated because we don't dare renovate them due to the ongoing project. The land in the hamlet is eroding in chunks, threatening the lives of the residents…”

Provincial leaders inspect the progress of the Vinh Urban Development Sub-project. Photo: Nguyen Son

The project to upgrade and expand Le Ninh road, approved by the Provincial People's Committee in 2002 under Decision No. 2795, has a total length of 3,000m and a construction boundary of 41m. According to the plan, the project was to be completed after 18 months of construction. However, decades have passed, and the project remains unfinished, with construction temporarily halted due to land clearance issues.

The entire road is divided into many sections, overgrown with weeds, and both sides have become makeshift dumping grounds, detracting from the urban landscape. This also represents a waste of invested capital that has not been fully utilized. Meanwhile, residents living in the project area constantly face difficulties, with their houses deteriorating but they dare not repair them.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Loc, from Block 7, Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City, said: “My family, for generations, has been living crammed into a small, dilapidated apartment. The project started when our children were still young, and now they've all gotten married and have two children. The prolonged delay has affected our family's life because we don't dare to expand or repair our house due to its deterioration. I hope the project will be implemented soon so we can stabilize our lives.”

The main reason for the delays and difficulties in implementing projects is that land clearance has not met the requirements. Some projects have been launched but land clearance has not been completed, and some ongoing projects have had to be temporarily suspended due to land acquisition issues.

Mr. Tran Xuan Le, Director of the Vinh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board, stated that due to various reasons, projects managed by the Vinh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board are currently behind schedule, such as the Le Ninh Road upgrade and expansion project; the Le Mao Road extension project (phase 2); and the Ly Thuong Kiet Road construction project. Currently, the city is focusing on resolving difficulties and obstacles to resume construction as soon as possible.

In Vinh City, there are currently dozens of projects across various sectors that are behind schedule, with many projects having been allocated land decades ago but still not being implemented. On December 10, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued Notice No. 679 allowing an extension of 24 months for 24 projects that had been allocated or leased land, requiring them to begin construction. However, to date, the extended period stipulated in Notice 679 has passed, and most of these projects remain just empty plots of land.

In response to this situation, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the City People's Committee to inspect and review the projects that are behind schedule in order to propose solutions to resolve the issues. At the same time, it has mandated the revocation of projects where investors have held onto land for too long without implementing the projects. In fact, over the past years, many projects that were behind schedule due to weak investment capacity on the part of the businesses have been revoked and transferred to stronger entities.

Land clearance for the components of the Vinh urban development sub-project has been accelerated but is still behind schedule. Photo: Nguyen Son

For example, the renovation and construction project of the A Quang Trung apartment building was previously undertaken by Nghe An Petroleum Construction Joint Stock Company as the investor. However, due to insufficient capacity to implement the project, it was delayed for many years. At the end of 2014, the Provincial People's Committee revoked the project and transferred it to Quang Trung Petroleum Urban Investment Joint Stock Company as the investor. After a short period of construction, the two buildings CT2A and CT2B are nearly complete and are expected to be put into use on May 19, 2017, 4 months ahead of schedule.

Mr. Ha Thanh Tinh, Vice Chairman of the Vinh City People's Committee, said: "Given the situation of delayed or stalled projects, the city is focusing on reviewing and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee to take measures to reclaim the land in the near future. At the same time, the city is accelerating land clearance efforts. Currently, land clearance will only be carried out for public investment projects that have funding and a construction plan to avoid incomplete and ineffective implementation."

Along with the above solutions, city and provincial authorities need to be more decisive in handling unfeasible projects. Because when state management regulations on projects are not strong enough and lack decisiveness, projects remain stalled, causing frustration among many people. This not only affects people's lives but also causes significant losses to the state budget.

Vo Huyen