VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi has maintained that changes to the design of Truong Chinh Road were not implemented for personal interests.

Hanoi authorities deny bending to officials’ needs

Earlier, some Hanoi newspapers made just that claim, reporting that the road’s implementation was indeed at variance with the original design - bending where it was intended to be straight - and that this was done with the purpose of avoiding the houses of certain government officials.

It was reported in newspapers that the nearly 2km Truong Chinh expansion was straight in the original design, whereas, in fact, the road now bends. Some local residents who say have they lost their homes to the VND2.560 trillion project were enraged by these reports.

The Hanoi Planning and Architecture Department said that the road bends due to technical factors, and that the design was also approved by the Ministry of Defense to take some land of the Air Defense and Air Force.

Talking to the press on Wednesday, Mr. Nghi said that the Truong Trinh Road design was adjusted under strict procedures, with caution and consultation of the relevant authorities, including the Air Defense Force and the Ministry of Defence. He said the Air Forces and the Ministry of Defense proposed the adjustments to the road and Hanoi approved the idea. The change of the road design was not wrong in principle.

"I confirm the adjustment of Truong Chinh Road has no sign of corruption and it was implemented transparently and under the required process," he emphasized, adding that the Hanoi authorities made the decision, not individuals, so the adjustment was not associated with personal interests.

He allowed that the road would have been “nicer” had it stayed straight, but in some cases roads cannot be straight, such as when that might cause them to run through historic relics. On the technical and economic side, the change of design for Truong Chinh helps to reduce the cost of site clearance and affects fewer households, Nghi asserted.

Nghi asked the involved bodies to provide accurate and truthful information on the road’s adjustment to the public.

The Truong Chinh Road project has been delayed for years and now it is stalled as some homeowners complain about the land acquisition. According to them, the road was adjusted from running straight to curved <so their land was | so that their land could be> acquired.

Some Hanoi officials explained that the initial road planning was made many years ago and now it has been adjusted to fit the current technical realities.

Le Ha