Work stalls on National Highway construction
Work on the National Highway 1A section running through central Quang Nam Province stopped after residents of Binh Nguyen Commune in Thang Binh District’s Ha Lam town blocked construction.
Duong Viet Roan, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport's Department for Management of Traffic Work Construction and Quality, said 56 households in Thang Binh District had yet to agree to compensation rates.
Several local women stood in front of an excavator and some lay in the path of machinery.
At a recent meeting with provincial authorities, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Nguyen Ngoc Dong, said construction of the section needed to be completed by May 30.
Local residents block highway work in land compensation row
Local police were called to the site to protect construction workers and machinery.
Highway construction has also faced opposition from local residents in Ha Lam town in Thang Binh District.
“We’ve tried our best,” said the chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Dinh Van Thu. “We suggested local residents bring a case to the court, but none have done so. We have held several dialogues, but have failed to reach any agreement.”
Than Hoa, director of Civil Engineering Construction Joint Stock Company 545, the project’s BOT (build-operate-transfer) contractor said there was still 10-to-15 days work to be done to complete the section, but dozens of families, unhappy with the level of compensation, have refused to hand over their land.
