Consequences of a "suspended" project

The slow implementation of the Solar Power Plant project for many years has greatly affected the psychology as well as the efficiency of agricultural production and the "settlement" of the people of Kien Tho commune (Ngoc Lac).

Consequences of a suspended project People in Kien Tho commune are upset because the project is slow to implement, affecting production and people's lives in the planning area.

Waiting for the project

Looking for Tho Lien village, Kien Tho commune - where the solar power project is being implemented. Before our eyes are dense hills, some growing cassava, sugarcane, some growing acacia, bamboo, but there is no sign of a large-scale solar power project being implemented!?

Meeting Mr. Pham Cong Hac, a resident of Tho Lien village, asked about the project, he said: "People had high expectations from the project, hoping that when it came into operation, it would create jobs for people and change the face of their homeland. But until now, the project has not been implemented. For many years, people have been doing agricultural production with the mentality of working while waiting for the project, so the crop efficiency is uncertain and unstable...".

Mr. Hac's family has more than 1 hectare of agricultural land. Before the project, his family grew sugarcane and had a factory to sell the products, providing a stable income. After deducting investment costs, each sugarcane crop, the family earned from 50 to 60 million VND. Mr. Hac was upset: "When there was information about the project, the delegations came to measure, inventory, and set compensation prices..., my family as well as more than 100 households in the village stopped production, ready to transfer land to the project. However, we waited forever and still did not see any implementation, the agricultural land was left unused, causing waste."

Not far from Mr. Hac's house, Mr. Pham Cong Nhung's family in Tho Lien village has 0.5 hectares of sugarcane land in the area subject to recovery when implementing the Solar Power Plant Project. For the past 2 years, the project has not been implemented, so to avoid the situation of the land being left idle, Mr. Nhung has switched to growing acacia and bamboo.

According to Mr. Nhung, replanting sugarcane is very difficult. Because of the characteristics of sugarcane, it is extremely difficult and costly to cultivate and renovate the land for planting. Meanwhile, it is not known when the project will continue to be implemented and the land will be reclaimed. This makes it difficult for people to cultivate and choose crops. Some households have switched to planting acacia, bamboo, cassava... While planting and waiting for the project, investment in seeds and fertilizers is also limited, and the crop efficiency is not high.

Whose responsibility is it?!

Mr. Bui Van Hai, Vice Chairman of Kien Tho Commune People's Committee, said: The land recovered for the project includes three types: production forest land, annual crop land and residential land. After the project was launched, the Commune People's Committee mobilized and propagandized the people to create favorable conditions for relocation so that the project could be implemented. And, the people agreed and signed the papers in mid-2018, but until now the project is still "suspended". During the meetings with voters, the people all expressed their opinions about the delay of the project, the impact on production and people's lives, who is responsible?... there needs to be an answer soon for the people to know.

According to Mr. Hai, in the majority of the area expected to be affected and recovered for the project (150ha), in addition to agricultural land, there are also a number of households that are required to relocate their entire house. These are households with difficult economic conditions. There are cases where the house is degraded and they want to rebuild it but cannot because it is in the planning area and they have to wait. There are cases where they want to transfer it to move to another place but are not eligible to transfer it. Many years of living in a degraded house makes the households feel disadvantaged and frustrated.

It is known that, in the face of the project not being implemented as planned, the People's Committee of Ngoc Lac district has repeatedly sent documents to the provincial authorities requesting measures to require Hoang Son Investment, Trade and Tourism Joint Stock Company - the project investor, to promptly implement the project as committed. Even when the project was "suspended" for many years, Ngoc Lac district resolutely requested to review and re-evaluate the feasibility of the project and the investor's capacity to avoid affecting the lives of the people and the socio-economic development of the locality.

The Solar Power Plant Project in Kien Tho Commune (Ngoc Lac) was approved in principle for investment by the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee in January 2017. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. Due to the slow implementation of the project, as well as many extensions and adjustments, in November 2023, the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee issued a document agreeing with the proposal of the Department of Planning and Investment, not considering the continued request to extend the time to complete the dossier and procedures for implementing the Solar Power Plant Project in Kien Tho Commune of Hoang Son Investment, Trade and Tourism Joint Stock Company.

Article and photos: Dinh Giang

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