Accelerate resettlement area for Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project

People proactively hand over land

The project of compensation, support, resettlement and technical infrastructure relocation serving the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line through Lao Cai province is being accelerated with 11 resettlement areas simultaneously under construction.

With a total investment of 4,590 billion VND, the project of compensation, support, resettlement and technical infrastructure relocation is a component of decisive significance for the progress of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line.

According to reporters' records in the last days of July, resettlement areas are being accelerated to build to arrange stable accommodation for households that have to relocate.

In Xuan Ai commune, the resettlement area infrastructure of more than 5ha for households in Trung Tam and Ngoi Vien villages is gradually being formed.

This is not only a new residence but also synchronously planned in terms of transportation, electricity, and water, creating conditions for people to soon stabilize their lives.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan - Secretary of the Party Cell of Trung Tam village - said that in the early days, many households were still hesitant when they had to move out of agricultural land areas that had been attached for many years.

However, through dialogues and propaganda about the meaning of the project and compensation policies, people have agreed and created conditions for land acquisition to take place smoothly.

Ms. Tran Thi Tinh - Secretary of the Yen Hoa village Party Cell also shared that many households proactively harvest crops and hand over land 10 days in advance for contractors to deploy construction.

Cases of arising land disputes are promptly mediated by the government and the Fatherland Front Working Committee, without affecting the project progress.

Efforts to remove "bottlenecks

Despite having clean ground in many locations, the project still faces many difficulties due to new legal regulations and route adjustments.

According to Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1, the biggest obstacle currently is the procedure for land recovery to serve the filling material mine and waste disposal site.

The review according to the provisions of the Law on Geology and Minerals has prolonged the time to complete the dossier, affecting the supply of construction materials.

In addition, the repeated adjustment of the route centerline also requires localities to review the entire resettlement plan.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dang - Head of the Economic Department of Chau Que commune - said that when the route direction changed, the number of households to be relocated decreased compared to the initial plan.

This leads to the risk of a surplus of land plots in resettlement areas that have been planned and invested in infrastructure, causing difficulties in balancing land funds.

In Chau Que commune, the locality plans two resettlement areas in Ha Ly and Trang Xo villages. Up to now, site clearance has been completed for 20/31 households in Trang Xo area with a total compensation cost of about 6.5 billion VND.

To ensure project progress, localities are closely coordinating with Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1 and departments and branches to focus on removing procedures related to material mines, waste disposal sites and adjusting planning.

Mr. Nguyen The Cuong - Chairman of Xuan Ai Commune People's Committee - said that the locality is urgently surveying the site and completing legal documents to soon unlock the source of materials for construction.

At the same time, continue to mobilize people, ensuring that resettlement areas are built synchronously, meeting the needs of stable long-term life.

Regarding the surplus land area and infrastructure due to changes in route direction, the Project Management Board proposed to continue to complete essential infrastructure, then hand it over to local authorities for management, and organize land use right auctions to recover investment capital, avoiding budget waste.

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