Mai Pha New Urban Area Project: Listening to create consensus (part 3)

Questioning about compensation and support mechanisms and policies,  many households have not agreed to hand over the land to implement the Mai Pha new urban area project. At the same time, a number of households have reported and recommended to the authorities at all levels to request a review of mechanisms and policies. In response to the complaints of the people, the Party Committees and authorities at all levels have held meetings and dialogues with citizens to find a solution.

Part 3. Dialogue to untie knots (continued and ended)

Proposing to consider specific mechanisms and policies

Currently, in Mai Pha commune, a number of projects are being implemented such as the project of the Provincial Police Headquarters, the new Mai Pha urban area project, the project of embankment on the left bank of Ky Cung river (Mai Pha commune area). …In which, Mai Pha new urban area project has a large area of land acquired and nearly 80% of the acquired area is agricultural land (72.4/91.73 ha). During the implementation of site clearance for this project, the People’s Committee of Mai Pha Commune and the People’s Committee of Lang Son City held meetings to answer the recommendations and questions of the households according to regulations; promptly grasp difficulties and problems to report to competent authorities for consideration and settlement.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Trung, Vice Chairman of Mai Pha Commune People’s Committee said: Since the end of 2021, the Commune People’s Committee has reported on difficulties and obstacles in compensation, support and resettlement of some ongoing project. in the commune. In which, the Commune People’s Committee  recommended that the People’s Committee of Lang Son city propose to the province to consider and issue a mechanism and policy for compensation and support for site clearance specifically for the city area due to the difference in land value between the city and other districts in the province. The People’s Committee of the commune also proposed the City People’s Committee to ask the project investor to have a plan to provide additional support for people in addition to the compensation and support plan as prescribed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh, Chairman of Lang Son City People’s Committee said: The City People’s Committee reported in writing and directly reported to the Provincial People’s Committee during the meeting on difficulties and problems and proposed specific mechanisms and policies in compensation and support for households and individuals whose agricultural land has been recovered to implement projects in the city.

Accordingly, the City People’s Committee proposed the Provincial People’s Committee to direct the review and adjustment of the unit prices of agricultural land in the city area in the land price list according to the roadmap to 2024. In particular, in the immediate future, the adjustment of the agricultural land unit price in 2022 has a price corresponding to the maximum price of the land price bracket as prescribed in Decree No.96/2019 of the Government on the land price bracket.

The City People’s Committee also proposed and recommended the province to consider adjusting the level of support for training, job change and job search in case the State recovers agricultural land from households and individuals directly producing agricultural products in the city. In which, for agricultural land types to be recovered, including: land for rice cultivation, land for other annual crops, aquaculture land, and other agricultural land in the city, the support level is adjusted to increase from 3 times up to 5 times the price of agricultural land of the same type. For production forest land, the support level is adjusted to increase from 1.5 times to 3 times the price of production forest land.

Location of the construction of Mai Pha new urban area

Although people believe that the price of compensation and support when the State recovers agricultural land, including rice land, is low, but according to information from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, currently, the compensation and support prices for rice land in Lang Son city are higher than in some neighboring localities such as Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province; Bac Giang city, Bac Giang province and equal to Cao Bang city, Cao Bang province.

Specific comparison: The total value of compensation and support for rice land in Lang Son city (location 1, area I) is 420 thousand VND/m2 + support for stabilizing life and production. Meanwhile, the total value of compensation and support for rice land in Ha Long city is 228 thousand VND/m2 + support to stabilize life and production; in Bac Giang city is 240,000 VND/m2 + support to stabilize life and production; in Cao Bang city is 420 thousand VND/m2 + support to stabilize life and production.

Thus, the total value of compensation and support for 1 m2 of rice land in Lang Son city is higher than that of Ha Long city and Bac Giang city from 180 to 192 thousand VND/m2.

If compared with neighboring districts, the total value of compensation and support for rice land in Lang Son city compared to neighboring districts in the province is also higher from 129,000 to 193,000 VND/m2.

Therefore, if the support level of the province continues to be studied and adjusted to increase in the direction of the framework specified in Article 20 of Decree No.47/2014/ND-CP, it is 5 times for rice, other annual crops and perennial crops lands and 3 times for production forest land in Lang Son city, the total value of compensation and support for agricultural land types in Lang Son city will be very different from other provinces and neighboring districts.

Not only that, at present, Lang Son city is implementing site clearance of 39 projects, of which 24 projects have acquired most of the agricultural land with the area to be calculated and supported is 243.4 ha. Calculated according to the current compensation and support unit price, the total amount of compensation and support for the above 234.4 hectares of agricultural land is nearly 659 billion VND (average payment is about 2.71 billion VND/ha).

If the proposal to increase the level of support according to the city’s specific policy is implemented (apply the adjustment to the framework specified in Article No.20 of Decree 47), the total amount of compensation and support for 243.4 ha of agricultural land mentioned above is 883.9 billion VND, the difference from the current compensation and support unit price is 225.1 billion VND (compensation value for 1 hectare of agricultural land will be 3.63 billion VND).

While the land condition of Lang Son city is not as favorable and flat as Ha Long city and Bac Giang city, the cost of compensation, support when recovering agricultural land is so high that it will adversely affect the attraction of investment to the province. Businesses and investors will not be interested in researching and looking for investment opportunities in Lang Son because the cost to create a business premises is too large.

Reviewing the project, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of the people

Leaders of Mai Pha commune propagate and capture the thoughts of households affected by the Mai Pha new urban area project

Although the Party committees and authorities from the city to the commune have propagated and explained to households affected by the Mai Pha new urban area project about the content of questions, and at the same time, proposed the province to consider the mechanism, specific policies in site clearance in the city, but most households still do not agree. Many households have submitted petitions and complaints to the City People’s Committee, the Provincial People’s Committee …Especially, during the 3rd session of the 15th National Assembly, some people affected by the project gathered to petition at the headquarters of the Central Citizen Reception Committee and some public places in Hanoi.

In response to citizens’ complains, with the spirit of asking  and listening to resolve questions and complaints, ensuring the rights and interests of citizens in accordance with the law, The head of the Party Committee, the Lang Son provincial government directly met and had a dialogue with the households affected by the Mai Pha new urban area project.

In which, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Tien Thieu met and had a dialogue with representatives of households affected by the Mai Pha urban area project in Hanoi on June 3 and June 9, 2022. Then, on June 13, 2022, at the headquarters of Lang Son province, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Quoc Doan met and had a dialogue with representatives of households affected by this project.

On the basis of the conclusion of the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee at the meeting with citizens, the Office of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee issued Notice No. 1988 -TB/VPTU, dated June 14, 2022. Accordingly, the Notice affirmed that the Mai Pha new urban area construction project is a policy approved by the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee, for the 2015-2020 term, the Provincial People’s Committee has assigned the Provincial People’s Committee to direct agencies and units to implement the implementation in accordance with the provisions of law. After the project is completed, it will change the urban appearance and improve the quality of life of city people. However, in the process of organizing and implementing the project, state agencies still have some errors (incorrect statistics on rice land; issue certificates of land use rights overlapping Mai Pha airport to people; the order and procedures for land recovery are not guaranteed).

Currently, the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee has directed to suspend the site clearance and project implementation; at the same time, they committee assigned the Party Committee of the Provincial People’s Committee to direct the review of legal processes and procedures related to the project to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of law; review all mechanisms and policies on site clearance, compensation and support for resettlement… in the direction of maximum application to ensure benefits for the people on the basis of the provisions of the law (after the review is completed, make it public to the people).

It must be affirmed that the construction of Mai Pha new urban area is a major policy of the province to contribute to the construction and development of a green, clean, smart, modern Lang Son city, imbued with national cultural identity, becoming an important growth core in regional economic development, improving and enhancing the people’s material and spiritual life.

During the process of meeting and exchanging with people in the project area and leaders of Party committees, authorities at all levels, our group of reporters realized that the desire is towards a common goal of continuing to implement the Mai Pha new urban area project.

In fact, the Party committees and authorities at all levels of Lang Son province have listened to the voice of the people and have asked people. This is clearly shown in the fact that the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee directly met and promptly grasped, collect opinions, recommendations and complains of citizens and direct relevant levels and sectors to focus on reviewing legal processes and procedures related to the project, reviewing land clearance mechanisms and site clearance policies, compensation, resettlement support…

Therefore, it is thought that, after the agencies review and perfect the order and procedures to implement the project in accordance with the provisions of law, People of Lang Son city in general and people affected by the Mai Pha new urban area project in particular also need to clearly see their responsibility in supporting the province’s policy so that the project is implemented effectively and on schedule.

It should also be added that, with the starting point being a mountainous,  border, divided terrain province, and limited technical infrastructure, Lang Son province in general and Lang Son city in particular need huge resources to implement socio-economic development projects and improve people’s lives in the area.

In the context of the province’s limited budget, it is very necessary to mobilize resources from investors to implement works and projects. And in order to attract investors to Lang Son, the province needs to create an open investment and business, in which quick site clearance and clean ground are very important. Therefore, along with the efforts of the Party Committee and the government, it is necessary to have the people’s sharing and contribution to solve problems and difficulties, create consensus for the common goal of socio-economic development of the locality.