Vigorously clear the land.

(Baonghean) - After more than 6 months of implementation, with decisive and coordinated efforts from the district to the commune level, Thanh Chuong district has basically completed land clearance on an area of ​​33.76 hectares for the High-Tech Essential Oil, Medicinal Herb, and Functional Food Production Complex Project in Thanh Thuy commune. The remaining issue is that the investor needs to actively implement the project according to the committed schedule, building trust among the people.

More than a week ago, Mr. Nguyen Van Lieu's household in Hamlet 5, Thanh Thuy Commune, was the last of 281 households affected by land acquisition in the Gia Hop floodplain to sign the compensation documents and hand over the land for the project. Thus, just over six months after the Provincial People's Committee approved the detailed planning for the High-Tech Essential Oil, Medicinal Herb, and Functional Food Production Complex Project in Thanh Thuy Commune, Thanh Chuong District, the land clearance process has been completed, with 19 households relocated and 281 households with agricultural land within the planned area agreeing to hand over the land, totaling 33.76 hectares. This result demonstrates the decisive efforts of the district and commune in coordinating with the investor to implement the project efficiently; few investment projects have achieved such rapid land clearance.

We were present at the project planning area in Thanh Thuy commune, at a time when the District Land Clearance Council was finalizing procedures for the investor to pay compensation to households. There was an atmosphere of excitement as residents awaited the project's arrival, anticipating its transformation of the rural landscape. Ms. Tran Thi Oanh, Head of the Women's Association in Hamlet 8 and Group Leader No. 2, not only took the lead in signing documents and creating consensus on land clearance compensation, but also actively encouraged member households and their families to comply. Thanks to her active involvement and that of the association, 57 households in Hamlet 8 with agricultural land within the project area unanimously agreed to sign the documents, making it the hamlet in Thanh Thuy commune that completed the procedures the fastest. Ms. Oanh said: “The people hope that the project will create jobs and increase income for the people, so we agree to the compensation agreement. We want the project to be implemented quickly and on schedule because if it is delayed, the people will hand over the land and then be unable to cultivate it, leading to unemployment and a surplus of labor, which will directly affect the socio-economic situation of the locality.”

The investor has erected a fence in preparation for the essential oil and medicinal herb project.

It can be said that, to achieve such rapid consensus in such a short time, based on the leadership and guidance of the district, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Thanh Thuy commune made land clearance for investment attraction for the essential oil and medicinal plant project a key program in 2014 and assigned specific tasks to relevant departments and organizations to mobilize members to agree to its implementation. Mr. Ho Van Thai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Thuy commune, said: The commune Party Committee issued a resolution, according to which the People's Committee and hamlets organized the implementation, with propaganda work preceding the process to ensure people understood the investment attraction policy, the compensation and land clearance mechanisms according to State regulations, and the additional support from the enterprise. Legitimate issues raised by the people that exceeded the commune's authority were reported to the District Land Clearance Council, which then petitioned the province and the investor for focused resolution.

As requested by the people, nearly 6,000 square meters of land in the Ha Sy and Bai Dau areas bordering Thanh Khe commune are not included in the project's planning, but would create difficulties for production if the project becomes operational. The district and commune have requested the investor to accept compensation and land acquisition. Similarly, during the land clearance process, the community hall in Hamlet 8 was reclaimed, so Thanh Thuy commune quickly surveyed and selected a location, and consulted the people to decide on a plan to build a new cultural center with an area of ​​3,000 square meters in the Cua Binh area. A very important factor contributing to the rapid success of the land clearance work for the project is that from the district to the commune level, the entire political system at all levels has been actively and decisively mobilized, with a persistent approach of persuading and explaining to the people when they do not understand. Simultaneously, based on regulations, negotiations were conducted with the investor to ensure the best interests of the households. The Land Compensation Council and the investor agreed on a land price five times higher (three times according to provincial regulations, and two additional times provided by the investor). Furthermore, a mechanism was implemented to reward households who received compensation and handed over the land quickly with 15% of the total amount received. It can be said that with this systematic, coordinated, and people-oriented approach from the local authorities, and the resources of the investor, land clearance was completed quickly.

At the planned resettlement site in Hamlet 5, Thanh Thuy Commune, 19 households have built sturdy houses after relocation and are beginning to settle into their new lives. In the joy of his new home, Mr. Nguyen Vinh Duong said: “My family complied with the resettlement policy to give up our land for the project because I believe that only by bringing the factory project here can we change the face of Thanh Thuy. When the project becomes operational, it will create conditions for the economic development of the commune, including my family's economy.” Mr. Duong's sentiments reflect the shared feelings of the 19 resettled households in Hamlet 5. Because of these sound considerations, the households quickly agreed to the resettlement plan to facilitate the rapid implementation of the project.

Accompanied by the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Van Thai commune, we visited the project planning area and saw that the entire planned land was a flat, contiguous plot of land, covered with lush, high-yield cassava plants. Mr. Hung explained: "This area was previously used for growing corn, but due to drought, the yield was low. Only cassava, grown for starch, is suitable and effective. Now, all the land has been reclaimed and handed over to the investor. If the progress is as committed, the project will be operational by the end of this year. Therefore, we hope the investor will expedite the project, avoiding situations like some 'stalled' projects where people see the land fallow and become impatient, leading them to resume crop production, which only complicates matters further." The investor has already fenced off the old land adjacent to the Ho Chi Minh Highway leading to President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace, where the relocated households have moved out, in order to proceed with construction. Mr. Truong Cong Quyen, a project officer, stated: “Currently, we are actively coordinating with Thanh Chuong district to complete the procedures for compensation payment and land handover. Regarding the implementation plan, the project will proceed simultaneously with the factory construction and the development of raw material areas to accelerate the progress.”

On behalf of Thanh Chuong district, Mr. Nguyen Van Que, Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee and Chairman of the District Land Compensation Council, stated: Identifying this as one of the two key investment projects of the district in 2014, the District Party Committee's Standing Committee has focused on decisively directing the project. Thanks to the effective implementation of the motto "starting from the source, checking each task," assigning specific tasks to members of the Land Compensation and Resettlement Board, and coordinating with the investor to directly and promptly resolve newly arising difficulties and obstacles, the entire land area according to the plan has been cleared in a short time. We request the investor to expedite the project implementation according to the committed schedule, building trust and contributing positively to the district's economic and labor structure transformation in the coming period.

Thus, a high-tech medicinal herb processing investment project has essentially completed the land clearance phase, the most difficult and complex part as it involves the rights and means of production of many households. The only remaining issue is the investor's responsibility to implement the project according to commitments and schedule, so that it can quickly become operational.

Huu Nghia