Not stopping the lawsuit
The left side of Bau Sen bridge, in the direction of Phu Phong - An Khe, suddenly stopped in front of the house of Nguyen Ngoc Tam - Vo Thi Kieu (Ta Giang 1 village, Tay Giang commune). It marked the long-standing complaint that had not been completely resolved.
The incident occurred at the end of June 2024. In a petition sent to the Central Internal Affairs Committee, Ms. Vo Thi Kieu stated: Construction and upgrading activities on National Highway 19 caused cracks in the wall and the foundation of a 3-storey house to break. When the residential road (access road) opened, the construction vehicle hit part of the foundation of the house in front. The plaster ceiling fell off, the walls cracked...
In the minutes dated July 1, 2024, with the presence of representatives of local authorities, investors, and contractors, the parties agreed to temporarily suspend construction, request the insurance agency to appraise and assess the damage and find a satisfactory solution.
Ms. Kieu's family requested "compensation based on a percentage" (ie based on the actual level of damage - PV), while the solution they received was only to patch the cracked areas.
Ms. Vo Thi Kieu was upset: “The damage was from the foundation, pillars to walls, but the insurance company surveyed and gave a figure of 17 million VND. What can be done to restore the safety of my house?”
On the other side of Highway 19, another feeder road has not even started yet, even though all 10/10 households, after much persuasion, finally "agreed in principle".
There are 6 households that are dismantling part of their houses and structures and handing over the land; the remaining 4 households are still stubbornly protesting and have not received compensation, meaning they have not given up their intention to obstruct the remaining work of the project on both the main route and the service road.
Ready to protect construction
Mr. Cao Van Hoa, Executive Director of Package XL01, Central Highlands Regional Traffic Connection Project, section through Binh Dinh, said: “In the two communes of Tay Thuan and Tay Giang, there are 1,085 households complaining about damaged houses and structures. All have been assessed. 410 households have received compensation; the rest will be paid in October 2024.”
Vice Chairman of Tay Son District People's Committee Nguyen Van Khanh announced: "Time is running out. All compensation files must be closed by October 31. The district has handed over the main road and the service road. Within the framework of current regulations, we have flexibly applied whatever can support the people. Most of the people have responded."
However, some households continue to sue. Earlier this week, we held a dialogue and this is the last dialogue. If we cannot find a common voice, the government will be forced to apply construction protection measures, there is no other way," said Mr. Khanh.
The project to enhance traffic connectivity in the Central Highlands region (upgrading and expanding National Highway 19 through Gia Lai and Binh Dinh) has a length of 143.6km, with a total investment of more than VND 3,654.4 billion (equivalent to USD 155.8 million), of which USD 150 million is borrowed from the World Bank (WB).
After many delays, up to now, 7/8 packages in Gia Lai province have been completed. Package XL01, including 17km passing through 2 communes of Tay Giang and Tay Thuan, Tay Son district, Binh Dinh, has only completed 92% of the volume. The investor (Project Management Board 2, Ministry of Transport) and the construction unit (North Central South Infrastructure Construction Joint Stock Company) are proposing that the sponsor postpone the completion time from October 31 to December 31, 2024.
