Ca Mau Province Faces 'Fear of Responsibility' Hurdle in Land Acquisition

In Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam, the acquisition of land for infrastructure development projects is not progressing as expected. Despite considerable efforts, numerous challenges and bottlenecks persist, necessitating urgent resolution. Currently, 57 key projects in Ca Mau require the acquisition of over 1,431 hectares, impacting 7,251 households and 15 organizations. While some critical projects, such as the expansion of Ca Mau Airport, the Ca Mau-Hon Khoai Expressway, and road construction to Hon Khoai Island, have completed land acquisition, the overall progress remains slow. Specifically, for the road construction project connecting Trem Trem to Seo Quao, 85 out of 503 households have yet to receive compensation or hand over their land. Similarly, for the Phuoc Long to Ba Dinh road (ĐT.979), numerous residents are refusing to vacate their land despite repeated explanations and persuasion from authorities. The delays in land acquisition are attributed to a combination of factors, including the time required to determine land origins due to complex historical land management, limited availability of resettlement land, disparities in compensation rates between adjacent areas, and concerns regarding livelihoods and vocational retraining after land confiscation. These issues have led to petitions and complaints from residents, further impeding project timelines. Furthermore, Mr. Lu Quang Ngoi, Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee, pointed out that while local administrative officials have been granted new authorities, a lack of specialized knowledge and hesitation in the face of policy changes has fostered a 'fear of making mistakes' and 'avoidance of responsibility' among them, creating an 'invisible barrier' to resolving land acquisition issues. In response, Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai, Secretary of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee, emphasized that land acquisition is crucial for the province's projected double-digit economic growth. He declared a firm commitment from the entire political system to tackle this challenge. The province plans to strictly enforce the 'six clear principles' (clear person, clear task, clear time, clear responsibility, clear product, and clear authority), with a particular focus on holding local officials accountable. Those who cause delays or violations may face disciplinary action or reassignment. The province will ensure legal compliance in compensation and resettlement while protecting the legitimate rights of residents. It will also deal strictly with illegal encroachment and attempts to gain undue benefits, and will not hesitate to resort to coercive measures according to the law for cases where residents refuse to hand over land after all legal procedures and persuasion efforts have been exhausted. Source: Nhan Dan