Reviewing and handling slow-progressing non-budgetary investment projects in Nghe An: A task that cannot be delayed
Although the People's Committee of Nghe An province has directed the review of slow-progressing non-budget investment projects to find solutions and direct their implementation, thereby avoiding waste and promoting the efficiency of land use. However, seriously assessing, the implementation results are still "delayed" to date.
Many communes have not reviewed and reported.
On June 29, 2025, one day before the official operation of the 2-level local government, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Document No. 6201/UBND-CN "On promoting the effectiveness of land use for non-budget investment projects" to provincial departments, branches and sectors; People's Committees of districts, cities and towns (Commune-level People's Committees after the arrangement of 2-level local government).
In the above text,People's Committee of Nghe An provincerequested departments, branches, sectors and localities according to their functions and tasks to focus on implementing the following contents (original text):
“1. Proactively strengthen inspection and examination work; coordination between local authorities and departments and branches in monitoring and reporting on the progress of projects in the province. In the coming time, when the two-level government officially comes into operation, the People's Committee at the commune level must immediately review projects in the area (including projects that are behind schedule or have not yet put the land into use), classify projects (whether land has been allocated or leased or not) and promptly synthesize and report to the Provincial People's Committee, the Departments of Agriculture and Environment, Construction, and Finance to ensure timely handling, without interrupting the monitoring and management work.
At the same time, local authorities need to regularly inspect, monitor and urge investors to implement projects to ensure compliance with land use purposes, approved detailed construction plans, and granted construction permits; Integrate software to monitor the status of investment projects; Timely detect and take measures to guide and urge investors to complete projects in accordance with regulations, minimizing adjustments to project detailed construction plans.
2. Resolutely review and implement land recovery and terminate investment projects for projects that violate land laws; projects that have been granted extensions many times but have not yet been completed.
3. Continue to enhance responsibility in giving opinions, appraising, and advising on approval of investment policies for projects. It is necessary to carefully consider and evaluate the capacity of investors and investment fields to ensure project feasibility and promote effective land use.
4. Departments, branches and local authorities need to regularly increase dialogue, guidance and resolve difficulties and problems for investors in the process of project implementation; local authorities accompany and support investors in site clearance and transfer of land use rights to implement projects for local socio-economic development in accordance with development orientation and legal regulations.
5. Regularly review, advise, report, and propose to competent authorities to perfect legal regulations on handling slow-progressing projects in accordance with reality (regarding the basis for determining slow-progressing projects/projects that do not use land, there should be regulations on recovering part of the project,...).
6. Request the Department of Finance to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to review, synthesize, and report on unfinished and behind-schedule projects; report to the Provincial People's Committee before July 25, 2025".
The above instructions of the Provincial People's Committee are very detailed and clear. However, on August 4, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee once again had to issue Document No. 1773/UBND-CN"On promoting the efficiency of land use for non-budgetary investment projects"Send to provincial departments, branches and sectors; People's Committees of communes and wards.
In this document, the Provincial People's Committee reiterates the content assigned in Official Dispatch No. 6201/UBND-CN dated June 29, 2025; and at the same time directs:“Assign departments, branches, People's Committees of communes, wards and relevant units to continue to promptly and effectively implement the assigned tasks in Official Dispatch No. 6201/UBND-CN and directive documents of the Central Government, Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee to avoid land waste, promote land use efficiency for investment projects; Assign the Department of Finance to preside over, proactively coordinate and urge relevant agencies to urgently review, synthesize and report on unfinished and slow-progressing projects; report to the Provincial People's Committee before August 12, 2025”.
On August 5, 2025, the Department of Finance issued Document No. 4883 / STC-TC&PTDN to the People's Committees of communes. This document mentioned Document No. 1683 / STC- TC&PTDN dated April 15, 2025 of the Department of Finance, with the content requesting departments, branches, and localities to review projects showing signs of slow progress outside the Southeast Economic Zone and industrial parks; along with Documents No. 2251 / STC-TC&PTDN dated May 7, 2025, Document No. 4009 / STC-TC&PTDN dated July 4, 2025 to urge the implementation of this task. Thereby, the Department of Finance requested the People's Committees of communes to urgently review and report on the contents that the Provincial People's Committee has directed to implement.
It is worth mentioning that attached to Document No. 4883 /STC-TC&PTDN of the Department of Finance is also a list of communes that have not yet carried out the review and reporting of slow-progressing off-budget projects. According to the list, there are 50 communes concentrated in (old) districts, including: Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Dien Chau, Ky Son, Quy Chau, Quy Hop and Tan Ky that have not completed their tasks as directed by the Provincial People's Committee.
The matter cannot be delayed.
Regarding the delayed non-budget investment projects, on June 17, 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment sent Report No. 4045/SNNMT-QLDD to the Provincial People's Committee. The report stated that from 2012 to December 2024, the Provincial People's Committee established 12 interdisciplinary inspection teams to inspect 965 projects. Through the inspection, the Provincial People's Committee revoked or canceled 165 projects; the remaining projects were granted extensions or were not considered delayed projects or were handled differently.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment also reported to the Provincial People's Committee that the handling of projects with slow progress in land use still faces many difficulties, obstacles, and complications due to legal, financial, social, and administrative procedure factors. Among them, there are obstacles in administrative procedures (overlapping, conflicts between types of planning; obstacles in land recovery and clearance, etc.); obstacles in regulations on extending land use progress, and obstacles in investor capacity (finance, management, experience).
The Department of Agriculture and Environment has pointed out a reality:“Basically, projects are behind schedule because investors do not have enough financial capacity to implement the project according to the committed schedule, weak management capacity, and lack of experience in implementing legal procedures, leading to project delays. In addition, some investors have limited capacity but intend to delay, occupy land, and wait for the opportunity to increase prices to transfer the project, causing a waste of land resources.”
To handle the problems and shortcomings, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has proposed groups of solutions to advise the Provincial People's Committee to direct implementation, in which, emphasizing the work of inspection and examination. And to effectively implement this solution, according to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the coordination between local authorities and departments and branches in monitoring and reporting the progress of project implementation in the area is very important.
Therefore, it is proposed that when the two-level local government comes into operation, the People's Committees at the commune level where investment projects are located need to be proactive, review projects in the area, classify projects, promptly synthesize, and report to the Provincial People's Committee, specialized departments and branches for timely inspection, examination, and handling.
At the same time, local authorities need to regularly inspect, supervise and urge investors to implement projects for the right land use purposes, construct in accordance with approved detailed construction plans and granted construction permits; promptly detect and take measures to handle violations so that investors can complete projects in accordance with regulations...
Through the time of monitoring the detection, inspection and handling of slow-progressing off-budget projects, we (PV) have realized that the role of local authorities is extremely important. Where local authorities do a good job of inspection and supervision, project investors will strictly comply with legal regulations and fulfill their project investment commitments.
Therefore, when the district-level government no longer exists, the newly established commune and ward governments need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in inspecting, supervising, and urging investors to implement the project as stated in the opinion of the Department of Agriculture and Environment in Report No. 4045/SNNMT-QLDD. And first of all, it is necessary to strictly implement the direction of the Provincial People's Committee in Document No. 6201/UBND-CN and Document No. 1773/UBND-CN dated August 4, 2025 of the Provincial People's Committee.
