Due to land acquisition issues and an "electric spiderweb" of debris, Le Hong Phong street (Vinh City) is unlikely to be cleaned before the planned deadline of October 31st.
By the end of September 2024, the old utility poles and power and telecommunication cables along Le Hong Phong street, from the Customs roundabout to Nguyen Van Cu street (Vinh City), had been cleared; however, due to land acquisition issues, the remaining section could not be completed as planned, which was October 31, 2024, according to the project management board.
Land acquisition issues, delays in progress.
To doLe Hong Phong Street sidewalk renovation project(Vinh City), the People's Committee of Vinh City anticipates having to reclaim 5,100.8 m².2land, of which 4,271.0m²2Land located in Hung Binh ward; 829.8m²2Land located in Truong Thi ward. 5,100.8m²2The land slated for acquisition involves 27 urban land plots, owned by 27 households and individuals (22 plots in Hung Binh ward and 5 plots in Truong Thi ward) and 2 agencies/organizations.
However, information from the Vinh City Land Development Center indicates that the land clearance and acquisition process for 27 households along Le Hong Phong street is still incomplete.
Specifically, as of October 3, 2024, in the section passing through Truong Thi ward, the City People's Committee has approved compensation, support, and resettlement plans for 4 households. Currently, procedures are underway to transfer funds to the Land Fund Development Center for payment to these households; for the remaining household, a monetary compensation plan has been prepared and is currently being submitted to relevant departments for appraisal.
Regarding the section passing through Hung Binh ward, 7 households have submitted applications for assessment. However, due to issues related to garden land limits and compensation regulations, they must wait for the province's new regulations on compensation and support for land clearance under the newly issued Land Law 2024.
Four households have submitted proposals and made them public to other residents. Of these, one household has agreed to the proposal and the City Land Development Center is currently finalizing the dossier for submission for appraisal; the other three households have expressed their disagreement with the proposal.
There are 8 households whose land is being reclaimed to a depth of 0.3 - 1m. Of these, 5 households are currently in the process of publicly disclosing the affected assets, while 3 households have complex, solid assets affected and are therefore undergoing inspection and plan development.
Of the remaining 3 households, 1 is completing the necessary documents to submit to the relevant departments for assessment; 1 household has submitted a request to re-determine the area outside the land title, and the Hung Binh Ward People's Committee has already worked with and guided the household in the procedures for revoking and reissuing the land title; 1 household has filed a complaint, and the City People's Committee has established a verification team to resolve the complaint according to regulations.
According to the Vinh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board, the project's management and operation unit for the Le Hong Phong sidewalk renovation project has been delayed due to slow land handover. Currently, the drainage system cannot be completed, affecting the undergrounding of power and telecommunication cables. Therefore, the old power poles and cables hanging on them cannot be dismantled as planned by the Project Management Board, which was before October 31, 2024.
According to the Vinh City Investment and Construction Project Management Board, the difficulties in land clearance are due to objective reasons and may be prolonged. Therefore, to ensure the project is implemented within this timeframe, the Vinh City People's Committee is considering adjusting the design of some items in the Le Hong Phong Street sidewalk renovation project and has submitted a proposal to the Department of Construction for consideration and feedback.
Proposed design adjustments
The proposal from the Vinh City People's Committee to the Department of Construction is in Document 5491/UBND-QLĐT dated September 20, 2024. According to the Vinh City People's Committee, the Le Hong Phong Street sidewalk renovation project has been prepared, appraised, and approved in accordance with regulations; to date, approximately 80% of the items according to the approved plan have been completed.
However, along Le Hong Phong road, from Km1+047.14 to Km1+329.1, many land parcels have not been cleared according to the road boundary. This is a main road in the city center, therefore, the compensation rates are high, some land parcels have complex origins, and the process of preparing compensation and land clearance documents has been fraught with complaints (mainly related to land rates), causing delays in the project. The drainage system has not been completed, and undergrounding work is still unfinished due to the lack of available land for construction.
On the other hand, the Land Law, effective from August 1, 2024, includes some additional provisions regarding land clearance, but to date, the Provincial People's Committee has not issued detailed regulations, so the provisional plans lack a basis for implementation.
During the construction process, Vinh City Power Company requested adjustments to the system design, adding several items to facilitate operation and improve the overall system safety. Therefore, the Vinh City People's Committee assigned the Vinh City Project Management and Construction Investment Board to direct the consulting unit to coordinate with the power management agency to prepare the adjustment documents as a basis for implementation.
Because Le Hong Phong Street is located in the city center, a densely populated area with many service and commercial activities and a high volume of traffic, prolonging the implementation time causes inconvenience to the people. Therefore, to expedite the implementation progress, the City People's Committee requests the Department of Construction to agree on adjustments to some items, including:
“1. Adjust the centerline of the drainage ditch south of Le Hong Phong road (section from Km1+047.14 to Km1+329) from the sidewalk area to the widened road lane.
2. Adjust the design for the underground telecommunications system (to the existing drainage ditch location) to match the revised drainage ditch design and ensure sufficient construction space to expedite the removal of existing power and telecommunications poles. Adjust and supplement some household electricity items as requested by Vinh Power Company.”
In Document 5491/UBND-QLĐT dated September 20, 2024, the People's Committee of Vinh City also affirmed that "Compensation for land clearance according to the approved project will continue to be implemented when detailed guidance is received from the Provincial People's Committee...".
As the leader directly in charge of land clearance work, Mr. Nguyen Sy Dieu – Vice Chairman of the Vinh City People's Committee – affirmed that land clearance for the Le Hong Phong sidewalk renovation project will still require more time; waiting for land clearance will prolong the project's progress, creating inconveniences on Le Hong Phong street, affecting urban aesthetics, and compromising traffic safety...
“The adjustments to the design of some items proposed by Vinh City in Document 5491/UBND-QLĐT are aimed at preventing prolonged construction delays, ensuring the project is completed and put into use as soon as possible to serve urban activities and facilitate the daily lives of the people. However, implementing these adjustments requires the agreement of the Department of Construction. Currently, the city is awaiting the Department of Construction's review and feedback on this matter…,” said Nguyen Sy Dieu, Vice Chairman of the Vinh City People's Committee.
