Land clearance for National Highway 14E project: Many problems remain

Perspective of the road bridge on National Highway 14E over the railway, through Binh Quy commune (Thang Binh). Photo: NB

Many problems

Reporting to the Steering Committee on promoting compensation and site clearance for key projects in Quang Nam province in the 2021-2025 period recently, Project Management Board 4 (Vietnam Road Administration) said that the site clearance councils of Thang Binh, Hiep Duc, and Phuoc Son districts were very active in approving compensation plans and handing over the site.

However, the length of the new land has been handed over 47.18/71.38km (reaching 66.1%). Of which, many sections, although handed over, are still small and difficult to implement. The approval and disbursement of land acquisition capital from March 1, 2024 to date has only reached 12.237/55 billion VND (22.24% of the registered plan).

The section of km17+830 - km18+170 on the right side of the route (Binh Quy commune, Thang Binh) has been handed over the land but construction has not been started due to obstruction by local people. Photo: NB

In Thang Binh, the land was handed over for 11.1/17.4km with 120 sections. In the handed over location, the contractor could not construct 78 sections due to small lengths (each section is 5 - 56m long) and people prevented construction with a total of 2.2km. These households said that the compensation support price was low; complained about the land being close to the road; requested to receive compensation before handing over the land...

At locations where land acquisition has not been completed, a series of “bottlenecks” were pointed out such as people buying and selling, receiving handwritten transfers but not registering to correct the seller’s “red book”; disputes over land use rights. Legal documents on changes in shape and size, no boundary coordinates of the land plot; “red book” has been issued and the decision to allocate land to this household but the part affected by land acquisition belongs to someone else; no agreement on inheritance rights among family members...

Through Hiep Duc area, lighting poles are still blocking the construction site so the contractor cannot complete the entire road surface. Photo: NB

Through Hiep Duc area, Deputy Director of Project Management Board 4 - Mr. Que Hai Trung said that the district has handed over 19.48/30.2km. However, the construction site in many sections is stuck with clean water pipes and lighting electricity so it cannot be completed.

According to the project management unit, Hiep Duc is currently stuck with 6 households in Binh Lam commune whose houses have been cleared, but cannot be relocated because the resettlement area has not been completed. Located in the old Que Binh commune (now Tan Binh town), the survey records are being adjusted. However, there are still 10 households lacking records to complete the submission, including 2 households in dispute over land, 1 household whose name is on the land but is not directly using it, 1 household whose documents are lost, and 6 households with errors in the survey records.

The land acquisition work through Phuoc Son has made significant progress, as the district has handed over 16.6/23.78km. The current difficulty is that some sections have been handed over but are in fact "blocked" by medium voltage power lines and transformer stations. The district has a total of 15 households eligible for resettlement. These households have all agreed to arrange their own accommodation. The problem is that many cases have encountered obstacles in confirming the legal status of residential land...

Need to make efforts to remove

The contractor of package XD02 is speeding up the construction of the bridge section on the bypass route across Ba Huynh - Xe Con bridge (Hiep Duc area). Photo: NB

The provincial leaders have directed the 3 districts to basically complete all compensation, support and resettlement work of the project before May 30, 2024. In a recent report, Project Management Board 4 has recommended that the Provincial People's Committee continue to pay attention and direct the People's Committees of the districts to urgently approve and pay for the remaining land plots. Direct investors with technical infrastructure works to urgently move out of the construction site, especially lighting and clean water pipes through Hiep Duc so that the contractor can complete the location where the road is being expanded.

An officer of Project Management Board 4 shared that the joint venture contractor of package XD01 repeatedly complained about the lack of construction site for the section through Thang Binh. The contractor confirmed that although it is the dry season, they had to withdraw 2 teams of workers due to the lack of site to implement, and if there was, they were obstructed by the people as mentioned. The joint venture contractor requested the locality to pay attention and take drastic measures to remove the "bottleneck" of site clearance for each household and each case. Priority should be given to connecting small sections between the handed-over sections to ensure sufficient construction length.

Passing Binh Tri commune (Thang Binh), the section from km26+400 to km26+800 on the right side of the route has been handed over, but people are preventing construction. Photo: NB

The project management unit also recommended that Thang Binh prioritize early land acquisition for the railway overpass. Urge relevant departments and units to appraise the dossiers and issue documents on eligibility or ineligibility for the 190 plots of land submitted to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Organize direct dialogues with households that do not agree with the publicly announced compensation and support plan to explain to people how to calculate the price, create trust and consensus with the state's policies. Mobilize households to hand over the locations for installing medium-voltage electric poles so that the electricity unit can promptly relocate them.

Regarding Hiep Duc's problem, the investor's representative proposed that the district People's Committee direct the measurement consulting unit to urgently collect legal documents of the remaining households in the old Que Binh commune, submit for approval to adjust the measurement plots as a basis for approval and payment. Quickly complete the Vuon Che resettlement area to have a basis for approval and relocation of households in Binh Lam commune. Urge the relocation of lighting lines and clean water pipes out of the construction site.

The investor representative also recommended that Phuoc Son direct Phuoc Hoa and Phuoc Hiep communes and relevant departments to promptly verify the land origin of cases within the scope of project 327, 661 and the remaining households, and hand over the site before May 30, 2024.

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