Reasons for adjusting the land allocation to include over 430 hectares of forest land for the North Expressway.

The Government has just submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly a proposal to amend Resolution 273 dated July 11, 2022, of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the decision to change the land use purpose of forests, forest land, and land for growing two or more rice crops for the construction project of the North-South East Highway in the 2021-2025 period (phase 2).

The proposed adjustments to forest area mainly involve changes in areas with difficult terrain, requiring deep excavation and embankment (Illustrative photo: Ha Vu).

According to the report, the area of ​​forest cleared for the project's construction increased by more than 438 hectares compared to Resolution No. 273/NQ-UBTVQH15 (more than 31 hectares of natural forest, nearly 407 hectares of planted forest).

Of this, nearly 54 hectares are designated as protection forest, over 283 hectares as production forest, and over 100 hectares are forest outside the three designated forest types.

The Government's submission also stated that, according to the review and report of the Ministry of Transport , the change in the area of ​​forest land and rice paddy land conversion mentioned above does not generate additional compensation costs for land clearance as approved and does not exceed the total investment of the project; it does not fall under the case of adjusting the investment policy as stipulated in the Law on Public Investment.

Compared to Resolution No. 273/NQ-UBTVQH15, the proposed forest land area is reduced by 78 hectares; the area of ​​paddy land with two or more harvests is reduced by nearly 31 hectares.

Specifically, in Ha Tinh province, the area of ​​newly formed forest land increased by more than 82 hectares; the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops decreased by nearly 28 hectares.

In Quang Binh province, the area of ​​newly established forest land increased by nearly 83 hectares; the area of ​​newly established paddy land with two or more harvests increased by more than 1.7 hectares.

In Quang Tri province, the area of ​​newly formed forest land increased by approximately 17 hectares; the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops remained unchanged.

In Quang Ngai province, the area of ​​newly acquired forest land increased by nearly 18 hectares; the area of ​​newly acquired paddy land (with two or more harvests per year) increased by more than 42 hectares.

In Binh Dinh province, the area of ​​newly formed forest land decreased by more than 247 hectares; the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops per year increased by more than 24 hectares.

In Phu Yen province, the area of ​​newly formed forest land increased by more than 46 hectares; the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops decreased by nearly 13 hectares.

In Khanh Hoa province, the area of ​​newly formed forest land decreased by nearly 50 hectares; the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops decreased by nearly 67 hectares.

In Hau Giang province, the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops per year increased by more than 3 hectares, without utilizing forest land.

In Kien Giang province, the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops per year decreased by more than 1 hectare, and no forest land was utilized.

In Bac Lieu province, the project does not utilize forest land or land used for growing two or more rice crops per year.

In Ca Mau province, the area of ​​land used for rice cultivation in the project is over 6 hectares, unchanged from Resolution No. 273/NQ-UBTVQH15.

In Can Tho City, the area of ​​land used for two or more rice crops per year increased by nearly 5.8 hectares, without utilizing forest land.

The reason for this change is that the North-South Expressway Phase 2 project spans 721km across 12 provinces and cities, passing through areas with difficult terrain and complex geological conditions. The technical design phase underwent changes during implementation.

On the other hand, the dossier on the policy of converting forest land and paddy land with two or more harvests per year, submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for approval in Resolution 273/, was updated with data as of April 2022.

"Currently, the Ministry of Transport has only handed over land clearance markers to localities for sections with favorable terrain conditions. The handover of all sections with difficult terrain will only be completed by July 2022."

Therefore, the dossiers for changing the land use of forests, forest land, and paddy land with two or more harvests submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for approval have not been accurately surveyed by the local authorities.

During the technical design documentation phase, the design solution is accurately updated according to topographic, geological, and hydrological conditions, leading to changes in excavation and embankment slopes, and precisely determining the boundaries and land occupation scope of the project.

"Areas with simple topographical conditions remain largely unchanged; changes mainly occur in areas with difficult terrain, requiring deep excavation and high embankment," the government's report stated.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/vi-sao-phai-dieu-chinh-tang-hon-480-ha-dat-rung-thi-cong-cao-toc-bac-nam-giai-doan-2-192240828171450016.htm