Deputy Party Secretary of HCMC Tran Luu Quang speaks at a meeting with voters in HCMC on October 15 – PHOTO: TNO

Deputy Party Secretary of HCMC Tran Luu Quang revealed the timeline in response to questions from voters in Districts 1, 3 and 4 related to corrective measures being applied to the controversial project, reported the local media.

Quang told the voters on October 15 that the municipal People’s Council recently adopted a support policy for 331 households whose land was incorrectly reclaimed by the former city administration, though these plots were beyond the approved boundaries of the urban area.

He said a taskforce had been set up to check for signs of violations by former city leaders involved in the execution of the project.

“It is expected the Inspection Commission of the Party Central Committee will submit its conclusions to the Party Secretariat and the Politburo before Tet,” he noted, adding that the move is meant to comply with Party regulations.

He remarked that the city government is striving to address the issues surrounding the project in a responsible manner. However, the project has been delayed for a long time, and the legal framework has changed considerably, so the issues will not be resolved soon.

“We are aware that if the issues are not resolved properly, they will affect not only District 2 but also the entire city,” he stated, adding that local authorities will report problems to the legislative National Assembly at the request of the voters.

In 1996, then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet approved a master plan to develop the Thu Thiem Peninsula into a 930-hectare modern urban area, situated on the eastern side of the Saigon River, opposite the current central business district.

The project was not intended to be a real estate business but was used to develop public facilities, such as a central square, a riverside park, a financial center and an international exhibition and convention center.

After more than two decades, some 100 households are still lodging complaints and filing lawsuits, claiming their land lots were incorrectly taken.

The Government Inspectorate has twice publicized violations of the HCMC government and its officials of previous tenures in the project’s execution and has asked the city to return more than VND26.3 trillion to the State budget as city authorities failed to exercise due diligence in the investment process. SGT
 

HCMC to reclaim US$77.5 million from investor of 4 road projects in Thu Thiem

HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong has approved a proposal to collect US$77.5 million in unpaid land-use fees from the investor that is developing four key road projects in exchange for land in Thu Thiem urban area project.

HCM City to resolve complaints from Thu Thiem residents, speed up key projects

HCM City authorities yesterday pledged to speed up major projects such as Metro lines 1 and 2, flood-control and climate-change adaptation projects, and settlement of complaints related to the Thu Thiem new urban area.