Coastal Road Project: Many problems need to be resolved - Part 2: Resolutely clearing land for aquaculture farms and resettlement

(QBĐT) - Along with the problems of determining assets created on forest land, ownership, land use right certificates (LURCs), confirming the rate of agricultural land recovery, recommendations for houses close to landmarks, and relocation of tombs that have been and are being resolved by the investor and localities, the component project 1 - Coastal Road also faces problems in resettlement and compensation for aquaculture farms.

Speed up the progress of resettlement areas

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy, Director of the Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Department of Transport) said: Currently, the Coastal Road project still has some difficulties and problems regarding compensation and site clearance for areas with changed forest use purposes and aquaculture farms. On the other hand, resettlement work, relocation of some technical infrastructure works, and relocation of tombs have not been completed.

The Coastal Road Project has 54 households subject to resettlement. The project has arranged 4 resettlement areas with a total investment of 82 billion VND, of which Quang Trach district has 1 resettlement area, Bo Trach district has 1 resettlement area and Le Thuy district has 2 resettlement areas. Currently, the progress of implementing the resettlement areas is very slow. In particular, in Quang Trach district, the resettlement area is still in the stage of implementing procedures. On January 3, 2024, the feasibility study report was approved, and the construction drawing design is currently being appraised and approved. In Bo Trach district, the resettlement location is facing difficulties in implementing procedures to connect to National Highway 1, so the planning task has not been approved.

The resettlement area of Ngu Thuy Bac commune (Le Thuy) is implementing infrastructure construction.

Chairman of Quang Trach District People's Committee Phan Van Thanh said: Implementing the Coastal Road project, the locality has 18 cases (of which 3 households affected by housing must relocate, 5 households compensated by land, the rest are mixed households), arranged 1 resettlement location with an area of 2.1 hectares in the area north of Provincial Road 22, Quang Tung Commune. Recently, the District People's Committee has actively urged and directed relevant units and localities to carry out the procedures of the resettlement area, land clearance and payment to 17/18 affected households with an amount of more than 2.7 billion VND.

“After the appraisal results and approval of the construction drawing design, the district will proceed to select a contractor to carry out site clearance and infrastructure construction for the resettlement area,” Mr. Phan Van Thanh added.

In Le Thuy district, 59 households were affected by their houses and land, along a route length of 2.1km. Of which, Ngu Thuy Bac commune had 17 households and Ngu Thuy commune had 42 households, however, both resettlement areas of the project were very slow in progress. Notably, the implementation of the resettlement area to serve the project's site clearance was hindered by site clearance, which had to be resolved over a long period of time, affecting the progress of handing over the site for the construction of the Coastal Road project.

Mr. Ngo Van Ninh, Director of the Management Board of Investment, Construction and Land Fund Development of Le Thuy District, said: Currently, the resettlement area in Ngu Thuy Bac commune has completed site clearance and is implementing infrastructure construction, with the volume reaching about 35%. Particularly, the resettlement area in Ngu Thuy commune, due to a dispute over the crop area of a household established on forest land managed by the Management Board of Dong Hoi and coastal protective forests of Quang Binh province, has just been resolved and the site clearance plan is being announced.

Agree on compensation plan for aquaculture farms

According to statistics, implementing the Coastal Road project, the whole province has 22 households and organizations with aquaculture farms affected within the project scope, with a total area calculated by length of about 5km.

In implementing compensation and site clearance for aquaculture farms of households and organizations within the project scope, over the past nearly 2 years, relevant localities, departments and sectors have spent a lot of time determining the interconnected nature of the farms, as well as pricing materials, machinery and equipment for aquaculture that are not included in the provincial price list. In addition, for assets outside the scope of site clearance but with interconnected and synchronous nature, localities have not been able to agree on an implementation plan.

The construction site of package XL-04 (Bo Trach) is adjacent to an aquaculture farm with a length of 0.2km.

In fact, ponds and lakes are mainly researched by people and households themselves, applying different models, technologies, and farming objects, over many periods, without any common standards or processes being used. Meanwhile, regulations related to inland aquaculture applied to farming households are not clear. However, aquaculture projects all have the common feature of a continuous and synchronized design system, so consulting units and units appraising land acquisition plans have difficulty in determining the scope of impact, as well as whether the equipment will be recovered in full or in part. Therefore, localities and units have difficulty in determining the scope of impact within and outside the land acquisition area.

Faced with the above situation, after many meetings to discuss and agree on a solution, on March 14, at the meeting to inspect the progress of the implementation of the Coastal Road and Nhat Le 3 Bridge project of the Provincial People's Committee, through discussion and proposed solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles in land acquisition for affected aquaculture farms of relevant departments, branches and localities, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phan Phong Phu concluded: Determining the affected assets is interconnected within and outside the scope of land acquisition, assigning the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) to preside over and coordinate with the investor and relevant departments, branches and units to study, advise, propose and report to the Provincial People's Committee on the establishment of a Council to appraise the interconnectedness of affected assets within and outside the scope of land acquisition of the project.

Regarding the valuation of materials, machinery and equipment serving aquaculture not included in the compensation price list of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Finance shall preside over and coordinate with the investor and relevant departments, branches and units to study, advise, propose and report to the Provincial People's Committee on the establishment of a Council for valuation of compensation assets for land acquisition and site clearance of the project.

The Provincial People's Committee directed the People's Committee of Le Thuy district to urgently resolve the problems of land clearance for the resettlement area in Ngu Thuy commune to implement construction; speed up the construction progress of the resettlement area in Ngu Thuy Bac commune; complete the resettlement areas in April 2024.

Implementing the direction according to the conclusion announcement of Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phan Phong Phu, on March 29, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Document No. 777/SNN-KHCN to the Provincial People's Committee on the establishment of a Council for assessing the continuity of affected assets within and outside the project's land acquisition and clearance scope. At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed an implementation plan for assets and equipment within the scope of the route that must be cleared and the remaining assets and equipment that are not within the scope of land acquisition and clearance of the project route.

Regarding the valuation of materials, machinery and equipment serving aquaculture not included in the compensation price list of the Provincial People's Committee, on March 25, the Department of Finance issued Document No. 796/STC-GCSDN to the Provincial People's Committee on the establishment of the Council for Valuation of Compensation Assets for Land Acquisition and Resettlement of the Coastal Road Project. The task of this council is to, based on the records, price survey documents or valuation certificates of independent valuation organizations compiled by the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to ensure full compliance with regulations, organize the valuation of assets serving compensation and support for land acquisition and resettlement of the Coastal Road Project for materials, machinery and equipment serving aquaculture not included in the compensation price list of the Provincial People's Committee and report to the Provincial People's Committee for consensus as a basis for the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to approve compensation, support and resettlement plans.

The difficulties in compensation and site clearance for aquaculture farms as well as resettlement have caused the construction site to be discontinuous and interrupted in the past, greatly affecting the progress of the project. With the establishment of appraisal councils, the difficulties in compensation and site clearance for aquaculture farms will be resolved, in order to quickly hand over the site to the construction contractor, as well as to disburse the allocated capital well, said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy.

Mr. Tuan

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