Misery with "suspended" rural road project

For nearly two years, people in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district have had to live with pollution and travel difficulties due to the abandoned project to renovate a rural road of more than 500m long through the area. The road is muddy in the rainy season and dusty in the dry season, posing many potential dangers, seriously affecting the lives and activities of dozens of households.

The project to renovate the rural road in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, stretches over half a kilometer, passing through 69 households.

The "sit still" path

The project to renovate and upgrade the rural road in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district, stretches over half a kilometer, passing through 69 households. According to residents, the project to renovate this road started in 2022, but the construction unit came to work for a few months and then abandoned it, leaving the road surface uneven, with many subsidence sections and dense potholes.

As one of 69 households that agreed to donate land to open the road, Mr. Dang Ngoc Lap's family (Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district) demolished and built a new 40m long fence wall. The purpose was to move back about 1.3m to make room for the project to expand rural roads. The land was donated, the wall was built, but the road construction was halted for nearly 2 months and has been suspended for nearly 2 years now.

"We were very enthusiastic at the beginning, but after a while, we stopped working. We, the people, donated land unconditionally and were willing to spend our own money to rebuild the outbuildings and fences. However, after digging up the road, the construction unit abandoned it, causing traffic obstruction. Many people fell while crossing the road," Mr. Dang Ngoc Lap indignantly shared.

For nearly two years now, residents of Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune have had to live with dust and the stench from wastewater.

Local residents said that the construction unit had finished building the drainage ditch and left, stopping construction in May 2023. The ditch cover was not tightly closed, posing a danger to road users. In addition, the stench from the wastewater was affecting people's health.

Similarly, the family of Ms. Do Thi Phuong, Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district, who is in difficult circumstances, donated 1.4m of land: "Initially, my family was informed that we only needed to donate 1.1m of land, but after the actual measurement, it turned out to be 1.4m. They promised that after donating the land, there would be a plan to compensate and support me. Two years have passed, but the land in front of my house is still in disarray. I am a widow, my house is in disrepair, I cannot wait any longer, I had to borrow money from everywhere to rebuild the fence, which cost tens of millions of dong. I myself also have atopic dermatitis, while the road in front of my house is full of dirt, the sewers smell bad, if we just leave the old road, it will be less miserable than now" - Ms. Phuong said.

The road has remained "inactive" for nearly 2 years.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Head of Hien Da 1 area informed: "Initially, in the meeting of the local government with the residential area, the representative of Hung Viet Commune People's Committee announced that the road was expected to be 7m wide and have drainage ditches on both sides. This requires the consensus of the people in donating land for road construction. However, during the process of site clearance and construction, some households did not agree to hand over the donated land area as initially committed, leading to the situation where the road construction stopped after a while".

Dozens of households in Hien Da 1 area donated land to open roads, even demolishing fences, barns, and outbuildings.

When will people stop suffering?

The project "Renovation and upgrading of rural traffic road in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune" is invested by the People's Committee of Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district, assigned to Cat Hai Trading and Construction Company Limited, in coordination with relevant agencies and units to implement the construction, with a length of 530.62m with a total investment of nearly 4 billion VND. Expected completion time of the road: 2023.

Previously, in September 2024, responding to the press, Mr. Nguyen Trong Phu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Viet Commune, said that in 2022, the commune government had a meeting with 69 households about the road construction plan, the design documents were approved, and the contractor was selected. However, during construction, some households no longer agreed to donate land as committed, causing difficulties for the project.

To find a suitable solution, the local government has adjusted the road surface from the original plan of 7m to 6m, requested to redesign the road surface width to 6m with 2 culverts running along both sides, and is expected to complete the road by the end of October 2024.

Gravel and rocks lie scattered on the road, posing a potential traffic safety risk.

However, on February 21, 2025, when we arrived at Hung Viet commune, we found that the road was still full of gravel and rocks, posing a potential risk to traffic safety.

Talking to Phu Tho Newspaper reporter, Mr. Nguyen Trong Phu, Chairman of Hung Viet Commune People's Committee said: "In November 2024, we conducted a survey and measured the actual site clearance on this route and recorded that at some points, the actual land area was only about 4.1 - 4.9m wide. Currently, the commune has adjusted the design, submitted the documents and is waiting for the notification of the results of the appraisal of the Economic - Technical Report on investment in construction of the project: Renovation and upgrading of rural traffic roads in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune of the Economic - Infrastructure Department, Cam Khe District People's Committee. After the documents are approved, the commune will implement the project, it is expected that the road will be basically completed before April 20, 2025".

Current status of the road in Hien Da 1 area, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district.

The road is over 500m long and has not been completed for nearly 2 years. The question is: Has the People's Committee of Hung Viet commune been proactive in disseminating and explaining to the people about the issues related to land area changes, as well as taking timely measures to resolve land-related problems? With the policy of "people know, people discuss, people do, people check", how far have the people accessed it?

With the motto "A hundred times easier without the people, it is bearable, a thousand times harder with the people's input", in order to gain consensus from the people and the government, during the project implementation, the Commune People's Committee needs to clearly explain to the people that changing the land area will affect the original design of the project. This will force the design documents to be adjusted, prolong the construction time and affect the progress of the project completion. The lack of detailed information makes it impossible for people to clearly understand why the project cannot continue as planned.

When faced with disagreement from some households, the Commune People's Committee needs to have effective persuasive measures, explaining the long-term benefits of the project. Failure to clarify these issues makes people gradually lose faith in the government's promises, especially when they have to suffer the consequences of the unfinished road that directly affects their daily lives and activities.

Dozens of households have donated land to open the road, demolished fences, barns, and outbuildings, but the road has remained "inactive", having to live with dust, mud, and pollution for nearly 2 years. It is time for the Hung Viet commune government and related agencies to take specific and effective actions to quickly complete the project, so that people do not have to continue to live in misery because of a long-standing unfinished project.

Nhu Quynh - Bao Thoa

Source: https://baophutho.vn/khon-kho-voi-du-an-duong-nong-thon-treo-227849.htm