The HCMC government has asked the relevant departments and agencies to present solutions for restarting projects that have been suspended for a long time, reported Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

An artist's impression of the Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project. The HCMC government plans to handle long-stalled projects 

Among the long-stalled projects are the Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project and the Mieu Noi residential project in Binh Thanh District,

The Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project has been delayed for over 26 years. HCMC Vice Chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen has assigned the municipal Department of Planning and Investment to prepare a plan for floating a tender to choose a new investor with strong financial capacity and much experience in carrying out major projects to ensure the feasibility of the project.

Tuyen required the plan to include the specific process and criteria for choosing the investor, such as the amount that the investor must deposit for site clearance compensation and the guarantees of credit institutions.

The HCMC government also requested the Binh Thanh District People’s Committee to propose solutions to minimize the impact of the project on households around the construction site.

In addition, Vice Chairman Tuyen asked the Department of Construction to offer feedback on a plan to license temporary repairs of deteriorating homes on the peninsula.

HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong also committed to completing the project quickly.

The Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project won the HCMC government's approval in 1992. After the project changed hands several times, the approved land site was left deserted, leaving thousands of households in the area uncertain of their future.

For the Mieu Noi residential project, which was started more than 20 years ago and remains incomplete, the city government has asked Phi Long Investment Consulting Co., Ltd, previously known as Investment Consultant and Urban Development JSC, to coordinate with the competent agencies handling its violations during the execution of the project, fulfill its tax obligations in line with the law and repay the capital it was advanced by the city government to compensate those affected by the construction of a kindergarten that never materialized.

The chairman of the Binh Thanh government will have to comprehensively review the execution of the Mieu Noi project, ask the investor to finish constructing public facilities and ensure connectivity between the project and the regional traffic system and the legitimate rights of local residents so they can promptly stabilize their lives.

Meanwhile, the Department of Construction will inspect all resettlement apartments and propose solutions for apartments that the investor has sold.

The investor in the Mieu Noi residential project received the land in 1994. However, the site clearance work and compensation has yet to be completed. The investor has earned profits from the land instead of developing public facilities such as schools, parks and roads.

Real estate experts and locals praised the determination of the local government in dealing with the suspended projects.

Nguyen Van Tien, a resident of Thanh Da Peninsula, expressed confidence in the resumption of the project on the peninsula, while other residents suggested the city could divide the project into smaller components and seek investors for each of them.

Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue and Tran Quang Thang, members of the HCMC People’s Council, agreed that long-delayed projects had greatly affected the local people’s lives.

Meanwhile, Cao Thanh Binh, another member of the council, proposed the municipal government and the relevant departments and agencies review all projects that have lagged behind schedule, assess the capability of their investors and take back land allocated to those projects if necessary.

SGT