Clearing the ground for key projects: Lang Son

Speed towards the finish line

It is known that in October 2020, the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 4B (section from Km3+700 to Km18) in Lang Son province (Cao Loc district) was started. The project has a total length of 7.7km and covers the communes of Hop Thanh and Gia Cat. The land area to be acquired is 36.5 hectares, affecting more than 500 households.

To implement the project, the District People's Committee established a Compensation, Support, and Resettlement Council, a Compensation, Support, and Resettlement Task Force, and a team to verify difficult and problematic cases in land clearance. Regularly, at 2 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Steering Committee holds meetings to review and resolve issues arising in the compensation, support, and resettlement work of the project.

The Cao Loc - Ba Son (DH.28) road renovation and upgrade project, connecting to the Co Sau border gate in Cao Lau commune, has a total length of 25.5km.

Simultaneously, the District Land Development Center was directed to take the lead and coordinate with the investor and the Gia Cat Commune People's Committee to disseminate information and encourage households to cooperate in surveying, counting, receiving compensation, support, and resettlement, and handing over the land. To date, 127 awareness campaigns have been organized, reaching 765 households; more than 31 hectares of land have been handed over to the investor on schedule for project construction.

Also as one of the key projects, in March 2022, Cao Loc district implemented the project to renovate and upgrade the Cao Loc - Ba Son road (DH.28), connecting to the Co Sau border gate in Cao Lau commune, Cao Loc district. The road has a total length of 25.5 km, passing through four communes: Hop Thanh, Hoa Cu, Hai Yen, and Cao Lau, with over 24 hectares of land subject to acquisition from 849 households.

To secure clean land for the project, Cao Loc established a specialized task force with 10 officials; and 4 teams to disseminate information, mobilize support, and provide complete project details to each affected household, ensuring the legitimate rights of the people.

The leaders of Hoa Cu commune People's Committee shared: Right from the beginning of 2021, when the province had a plan to invest in the road project, the commune publicly informed the households about the scale, implementation time, and expected scope of land acquisition. In addition, the commune also provided the villages with relevant government documents applicable to the land acquisition, compensation, and resettlement process so that people could easily refer to them.

Thanks to these efforts, by the end of August 2023, Cao Loc had completed 100% of the statistical and counting work; organized 63 propaganda and dialogue sessions reaching over 1,000 households and individuals; received and addressed 138 out of 138 opinions and suggestions from affected people; and 790 out of 849 households and individuals had handed over the land for the project's construction.

Effective mass mobilization will inevitably lead to high levels of consensus.

Always identifying the task of disseminating information and mobilizing the public to comply with regulations on compensation, support, and resettlement as one of the key tasks of leadership and direction, in recent years, the People's Committee of Cao Loc district has instructed specialized agencies and units to enhance their responsibility in disseminating information and mobilizing the public to comply with land acquisition, considering this as one of the important factors in helping people understand the regulations and limiting the occurrence of petitions and complaints.

Cao Loc District, Lang Son Province, viewed from above.

Mr. Hoang Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Cao Loc District People's Committee, said: The District People's Committee has directed specialized departments and agencies to closely coordinate with investors and the People's Committees of communes and towns to regularly monitor the situation at the grassroots level, understand the objectives, significance, and progress of each project, and pay attention to the lives of households whose land is being acquired in order to proactively resolve any difficulties and obstacles that arise. In particular, Cao Loc always strictly implements the principles of transparency and openness, and the mechanism of "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise, and the people benefit" in all projects from the very beginning.

At the same time, inspection and supervision of statistical work, counting, and the preparation of compensation, support, and resettlement plans were strengthened; the implementation of procedures in receiving citizens and preparing land acquisition documents was monitored, ensuring that compensation and support plans were prepared in accordance with regulations. As a result, most affected households and individuals showed high levels of agreement during the handover of land for project construction; no hotspots of complaints or lawsuits arose in the area.

In the coming period, Cao Loc will continue to diversify the forms and content of propaganda, with the motto of persistence, continuity, and consistency; strengthen unity, promote democracy, ensure openness and transparency, and create high consensus among the people. It will enhance the role and responsibility of the steering committees at all levels regarding compensation and land clearance. It will also strengthen the organizational structure, and provide training and professional development to improve the skills and expertise of officials and employees involved in land clearance.

Continue to review and promptly propose amendments and additions to mechanisms and policies related to compensation and land clearance; develop specific land prices that are consistent with practical requirements, ensuring a balance of interests between the State, businesses, and the people. Strengthen inspection and supervision to detect and promptly prevent violations in compensation, support, and resettlement.

The methods of propaganda and dialogue are flexible, tailored to each locality and target group, such as: integrating it into the activities of mass organizations, meetings in residential areas, at private homes, and at cultural centers… The content of the propaganda mainly focuses on documents related to mechanisms and policies on compensation, support, and resettlement; and information related to upcoming projects.

Source