Need to be determined in land acquisition for National Highway 7 through Yen Thanh district
Although Yen Thanh district has propagandized, mobilized and had dialogues many times, up to now many households within the scope of the project to upgrade and expand National Highway 7 have not yet handed over the land.
Continuously missed appointments
The project to upgrade National Highway 7, section Km0 - Km36 and handle landslides caused by storms and floods in the Khe Thoi - Nam Can section, Nghe An province, was approved by the Ministry of Transport in Decision No. 1338/QD-BGTVT dated July 20, 2021, with a total investment of VND 1,300 billion, invested by Project Management Board 4. By September 2022, this project officially started construction, with a total length of 27.5 km passing through Dien Chau, Yen Thanh and Do Luong districts.
The project is divided into 3 construction packages 01, 02 and 03. The project is expected to be completed in December 2023. However, after many extensions, up to now, the project has not been completed, because many households are determined not to hand over the site.
In Yen Thanh district, National Highway 7 has a total length of 27,774m (including both sides) passing through 5 communes: Vinh Thanh, Vien Thanh, Bao Thanh, Cong Thanh (now Van Tu commune) and My Thanh. Currently, only Vinh Thanh commune has completed the entire main route. The remaining communes have not completed the site clearance, leading to many construction sections being interrupted.
Up to now, Yen Thanh District People's Committee has handed over the discontinuous section from Km9+180 - Km24+678 (left and right of the route) for about 26.996km/27.774km (reaching 97.2%); currently there is still 0.788km/27.774km (including left and right of the route) accounting for 2.8% and affecting 42 households and 47 plots of land.
Specifically, in Vien Thanh commune, the total length of land still stuck is 166m and affects 11 plots of land (10 households), of which 4 households must enforce the land recovery decision, at the sections Km12+980 - Km13+80 (right of route) and Km3+340 - Km13+460 (left of route).
In Bao Thanh commune, there is currently a 26m problem, affecting a plot of land belonging to one household. It is worth mentioning that these households agreed to let the contractor construct the canal but not the roadway.
In Van Tu commune, there is still a 34m problem and affects 2 plots of land of 2 households at section Km19+00 - Km19+034 (right side of the route).
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The most currently is in My Thanh commune with a total length of 554m and affecting 33 plots of land of 29 households and individuals. Specifically, the sections Km21+700 - Km21+900 (off-route), Km22+900 - Km23+040 (on-route), Km22+760 - Km23+040 (off-route), Km23+650 - Km24+551 (on-route) and Km23+900 - Km24+551 (off-route).
According to the report of Yen Thanh District People's Committee, although the District People's Committee has coordinated with the Compensation and Site Clearance Council, and the People's Committees of the communes where the project passes, to organize propaganda, mobilize, dialogue and persuade, even respond to petitions so that people understand and comply with the site clearance policy, and in fact many households have handed over the site to the State. However, many households still think that they are disadvantaged in terms of benefits, so they have not yet handed over the site.
"Impatient" with this project, the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Road Administration have repeatedly sent documents urging. Even the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have issued many documents directing, urging and assigning a deadline for handing over the site to the investor so that the construction unit can complete the project.
Specifically, most recently on December 13, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghe An province continued to issue Document No. 11154/UBND-CN directing the People's Committees of Dien Chau and Yen Thanh districts and related departments and branches to urgently complete the site clearance work of the National Highway 7 Project on time. However, the timeline has been extended many times, and the completion of the project along the route is still pending.
People are upset because of the unfinished road
Mr. Dang Quang Hoang - Chairman of Vien Thanh Commune People's Committee said: Currently, in the commune, households that have not yet handed over the land are mainly located in hamlets 5 and 6. There are households with areas with constructions and assets outside the 2005 cadastral survey map, not granted a Certificate of Land Use Rights, but still request compensation and support.
In particular, in Vien Thanh commune, there are currently two cases: the households of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong and Bui Thi Phuong, both residing in Hamlet 6, although they have received compensation, they have not yet handed over the land. They request compensation for the area outside of Road 7A.
Mr. Hoang said that at this time, when Tet is near, many households have handed over their land, but because of the households that have not handed over, the road cannot be constructed. Businesses on Highway 7 are more frustrated because the road has not been completed, so when it rains, it is flooded, and when it is sunny, it is dusty.
In My Thanh commune, there is a household of Mr. Nguyen Cong Xuan, using production forest land that had been approved by the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district for site clearance but did not agree, requesting compensation at the price of garden land. Or there are 3 cases also in this commune, the land was previously recovered (in 2011), at that time the owner was the land managed by the People's Committee of the commune, but the households said that it belonged to the family so they requested compensation.
Because many households have not yet handed over their land, many households who have agreed to hand over their land have also been "affected" in many sections passing through My Thanh commune when the road has not been completed. Mr. Nguyen Vinh Thoan, a resident of Giap Quan hamlet, who has agreed to hand over his land, although he has not yet received the support money, said indignantly: Just because a few households do not agree, a long section is blocked, which is completely unreasonable. Mr. Thoan suggested that the local government needs to be more determined in the land clearance process.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha - residing in Lo hamlet, handed over the land since the beginning of 2024, but because there are still a few households along the route that have not handed over the land, the whole section has not been constructed. Ms. Ha's family does business along this route, Tet is coming but the road is still in disarray, so she is very upset.
It can be seen that the delay in handing over the site has led to many consequences. In addition to causing the project to be prolonged, it also affects environmental sanitation, traffic safety and especially there is a risk that this project will stop before the entire route is completed.
It is worth mentioning that from June 26 to July 1, 2024, the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district issued Decisions to establish Construction Protection Implementation Boards in the communes of Vien Thanh, Bao Thanh, Cong Thanh, My Thanh; Decisions to enforce land recovery of 4 households in Vien Thanh commune to implement the Project. However, up to now, the superior agencies have not yet approved the decisions and plans on construction protection and forced land recovery. This makes the already slow site clearance even slower.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee said that although the local government has actively mobilized, propagated, and organized dialogues, the households still do not agree. In the coming time, if the people do not hand over the site according to regulations, the government will implement a construction protection plan to ensure the route is cleared.
For cases that receive "other support" when self-demolishing, but if they do not dismantle but have to protect the construction, this "other support" amount will also be cut...
Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee
In the worst case, if the project is not completed and the Central Government cuts the capital, the project will be handed over to the province for management. If the province also does not have capital to upgrade, repair and maintain, it is unknown when National Highway 7 will be open to traffic. "Meanwhile, this is the main route connecting National Highway 1A and the North-South Expressway to Nam Can border gate. If it is not open, it will greatly affect the overall development of the province. At the same time, the connection and development of the southern axis of Yen Thanh district will also be affected," Mr. Duong emphasized.