Don't repeat the practice of stalled planning.

Q. PLAN FOR "COVERAGE" IN CONTACTING VOTERS

During a working session between the Ho Chi Minh City National Assembly delegation and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the socio-economic situation in mid-May 2024, delegate Truong Trong Nghia stated that the issue of stalled projects and suspended planning is frequently raised by citizens during meetings with constituents. In his constituency, the Sing-Viet urban area project and the An Ha farm (Binh Chanh District) or the Hang Bang canal (District 6) are always mentioned.

The People's Committee of Binh Chanh District (Ho Chi Minh City) is calling for investment in schools but is facing obstacles related to planning.

Suspended planning and projects are not new issues in Ho Chi Minh City and are frequently discussed during meetings with constituents. In some meetings, residents even spend four-fifths of the time talking about this issue. "The situation of suspended projects and planning causes insecurity, preventing people from settling down and making a living. Ho Chi Minh City needs to allocate resources to resolve these issues that have dragged on for 20-30 years," Mr. Nghia suggested.

Overall, Ho Chi Minh City has basically approved zoning plans and detailed construction plans at a scale of 1/2,000, totaling approximately 600 projects. Rural planning, however, was largely approved before the Planning Law, undergoing various legal stages. According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, in reality, management in some areas is overlapping due to the existence of both new rural planning and general construction planning, as well as zoning plans.

In particular, land use functions in new rural planning projects are inconsistent with zoning plans, general construction plans, and land use planning. This restricts people's rights regarding land subdivision, land use conversion, or house construction. Furthermore, localized adjustments to the plan are not always timely.

PLANNED BURIED RESOURCES

Overlapping planning not only negatively impacts people's lives but also stifles land resources. In suburban districts like Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, and Cu Chi, land is considered a driving force for local development, but to date, much of it remains untapped potential. The districts have proactively organized investment promotion conferences, but the results have not met expectations. After selecting a suitable plot of land, businesses inquire about legal aspects, planning adjustments, and land use purposes, but the local authorities are unable to provide answers.

The Northwest Urban Area project (Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City) has been stalled for decades.

For example, Binh Chanh District, covering over 25,000 hectares with a population of nearly 900,000, is experiencing rapid urbanization and a population increase of over 32,000 people per year due to migration, creating significant pressure on the demand for schools. In mid-2023, the People's Committee of Binh Chanh District organized a conference to promote education , calling on businesses to build schools on 84 plots of land totaling 100 hectares. Attending the conference, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City requested relevant departments and agencies to coordinate with the local authorities to resolve obstacles and focus resources to bring the projects into operation as soon as possible.

After a year, the number of projects with cleared legal procedures, land use, and construction permits can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The leaders of Binh Chanh District People's Committee cited a simple example: a plot of land zoned for a single-level education facility was obstructed when the investor wanted to build a multi-level school, forcing them to make adjustments. Furthermore, most investors, especially those building bilingual or foreign-language schools, and foreign-invested enterprises, always prioritize having cleared land before investing. Meanwhile, land acquisition from residents must comply with all procedures and regulations regarding planning, investment, land use, and construction, and often takes a long time.

In its inspection report on urban planning management, investment, and construction in the Northwest Urban Area (Cu Chi District) in February 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Inspectorate determined that the submission of planning documents for the sub-areas of the urban area was too slow, affecting the process of attracting investment and implementing projects. Some land plots intended for investment had to be halted pending the completion of the 1/5,000 scale planning adjustments. Due to the slow planning adjustments, 26 years after being approved by the Prime Minister , the Northwest Urban Area project has still not materialized, causing frustration and complaints among the local population.

ENSURING THE LEGITIMATE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE

Many experts and local leaders hope that this latest adjustment to Ho Chi Minh City's master plan will resolve the persistent issue of stalled planning and projects that have lasted for decades. Dr. Pham Viet Thuan, Director of the Institute of Resource and Environmental Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, said he strongly supports the development orientation of five urban zones, which are five cities directly under Ho Chi Minh City, with the criteria of: green economy, creative cities, smart infrastructure, civilized society, and sustainable environment. However, it is necessary to define the urban zones belonging to the five cities in the future so that plans can be implemented now. "We cannot build a completely new infrastructure different from the current one; we can only adjust a part of the complex infrastructure intertwined with other technical infrastructure," Dr. Thuan added.

The geographical demarcation of the five future cities is not only important in the planning project but also determines the strategic importance of infrastructure development and urban architecture. For example, the Northwest urban area includes Cu Chi District, Hoc Mon District, and part of District 12, with Cu Chi District currently serving as the administrative center. With transportation infrastructure including Ring Road 3, Ring Road 4, and the Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai Expressway, the formation of the Northwest urban area in the future is logical. The economic structure of the urban area includes a high-tech zone, a concentrated urban area, an industrial zone, an entertainment zone, a craft village development zone, and a residential area undergoing urban renewal.

According to Dr. Thuan, with the amended Land Law about to take effect, determining compensation based on market value or close to market value is a favorable point for Ho Chi Minh City to boldly implement, while also creating conditions for people to subdivide land and change land use purposes. The suspension of land subdivision for many years has significantly affected the legitimate rights of people, so Decision 60/2017 of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City needs to be adjusted soon.

To exploit land resources, Dr. Thuan believes that the role of the Ho Chi Minh City Land Development Center should be enhanced in the future by focusing on land acquisition and compensation according to approved project plans to create a large land fund to attract high-tech investment. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-phat-trien-thanh-pho-ve-tinh-dung-lap-lai-quy-hoach-treo-185240617232930841.htm