Vice Permanent Chairman of the Bac Giang Province People’s Committee Lai Thanh Son chairs the meeting (Photo: BGP/Nguyen An).

According to a report of the provincial Department of Transport, Bac Giang city basically completed its site clearance for the expressway project and approved a plan on compensation and resettlement support for nine households whose land were revoked before December 22, 2017. The city is ready to carry out land clearance for the intersection of national highway No. 31 as soon as a design plan is agreed.

Meanwhile, in Lang Giang district, a land clearance plan was approved with a total land of 111.2 hectares out of 138.17 hectares, involving 2,035 out of 2,270 households. The plan is implemented at cost of 191.85 billion VND (8.44 million USD). The district handed over 111.2 hectares of cleared land, equivalent to 15 out of 19km of the road section running the district to investors. The progress is about 22 percent of the project’s work, ensuring the project on schedule.

However, some areas in Lang Giang district have yet to be cleared due to several reasons, including difficulties in verifying land history and defining the land type, and a number of households disagreeing with the compensation plan. Differences in design options for the intersection with national highway No. 31 were also attributed to delay in implementation.

A segment of Lang Son - Ha Noi expressway is put into operation. (Photo: BGP/Nguyen An).

Concluding the meeting, Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lai Thanh Son acknowledged efforts of provincial departments, sectors and localities as well as all people's consensus, saying that they contributed to speeding up the land clearance. However, he pointed out shortcomings and obstacles hindering the project’s implementation, while urging agencies, units and localities to accelerate the work.

Lang Giang district should encourage the involvement of its entire political system and people in calling for consensus from hesitant households in order to speed up the work, Son said.

The focus should be put on key areas at the request of investors, Son said, adding that comprehensive measures should be taken to complete site clearance of the project before the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, which falls in mid-February 2018.

Provincial Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, Transport need to help involved localities to address their difficulties. BOT (Build - Operate - Transfer) investors need to actively work with stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of the project while getting their resources ready for implementing the project when the site clearance is completed, Son said.

Nguyen An