Resolving Land Clearance Issues
The Prime Minister emphasized that the workload for 2024 will be extensive, with high demands and limited time. He called upon ministries, local governments, investors, and contractors to actively and resolutely focus on resolving difficulties and obstacles. The goal is to foster a sense of patriotism and dedication to the country and its people.
Increased Responsibility
Related ministries, local governments, and relevant entities must prioritize the execution of their duties. This includes ensuring faster construction progress, better project quality, and higher standards in technical, artistic, and technological aspects. Local authorities must address issues related to land clearance, raw materials, infrastructure, and technical facilities to accelerate project efficiency. They should also strive to manage environmental concerns and maintain social well-being for affected residents.
Land Clearance as a Priority
Regarding land clearance, the Prime Minister stressed that local governments must consider this a key task. They should mobilize the entire political system to comprehensively address land clearance issues for the North-South high-speed project phase from 2021 to 2025. This is particularly crucial for the provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Kien Giang, and Phu Yen, as well as the three East-West high-speed projects and two belt-road projects in the second quarter of 2024. Collaboration with investors is essential to prioritize the handover of land clearance areas along the project route. Additionally, there is a need to expedite the construction of resettlement areas and ensure the well-being of affected residents.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of local leaders closely monitoring the situation and actively engaging with the community to effectively carry out land clearance work. Some regions have performed well, while others still face difficulties. It is essential to listen to the opinions and proposals of the people, putting ourselves in their shoes. As the Prime Minister pointed out, if even a single household is not properly addressed, then no progress can be made.
Overcoming Challenges
Apart from the shortage of foundation materials, addressing delays in land clearance is essential to accelerate the construction of highways. The main obstacles in land clearance revolve around negotiation for compensation, slow arrangements for resettlement, and incomplete resettlement areas. Complex technical infrastructure relocation, especially high-voltage electrical systems, poses additional challenges.
For instance, the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau highway project, spanning Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces, covers a distance of 53.7km. While many sections of the route have gradually taken shape, land clearance in Dong Nai province remains slow. Complicating matters further is the lack of personnel in local offices and communities responsible for compensation and land clearance tasks. The construction of two resettlement areas in Tam Phuoc and Phuoc Tan wards in Bien Hoa City, as well as the Long Duc and Long Phuoc resettlement areas in Long Thanh district, is proving challenging when it comes to arranging housing for affected households.
Vo Tan Duc, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province, mentioned that the two resettlement areas in Bien Hoa require land recovery, which involves time-consuming procedures such as compensation, bidding, and auctions. Particularly, Phuoc Tan ward has faced complications due to illegal construction on agricultural land by 700 households. These households cannot be provided with resettlement areas under land compensation policies. Therefore, the province is considering alternative policies for providing social housing to these households.
Duc also stated that local authorities are implementing solutions to expedite the progress of the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau highway project. The tasks of land compensation and support for resettlement have been assigned to the Compensation and Land Clearance Project Management Board and the Dong Nai province People’s Committee. The Long Thanh district’s People’s Committee is also involved in fulfilling the commitment to hand over cleared land to the government before June 30.
Similar challenges arise in other areas when constructing highways that involve land clearance. Difficulties mainly stem from reaching agreements on compensation and resettlement for affected residents. Overcoming these challenges requires greater responsibility from local governments in achieving consensus with the community and affected individuals during project implementation.
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