VietNamNet Bridge – Difficulties were holding up many traffic projects in the capital city, said Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen The Thao in a meeting Tuesday.

Construction work at the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway. Many traffic projects in Ha Noi lag behind their schedules partly due to slow land clearance.

Slow land clearance and compensation in addition to ineffective co-operation between project investors and relevant authorities and sectors were identified as the reasons behind the delay, he affirmed.

For example, a 450-metre road linking Tran Phu and Kim Ma streets was approved in 2011 but has not yet been finished.

The project's investor blamed the slow progress on difficulties relating to resettlement house funds and land clearance.

The Chairman set a deadline for the project, saying it had to be completed by the end of the year.

The municipal construction department set aside 118 apartments in the Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh apartment building for resettlement, but they were in bad condition and needed to be repaired before people could live in them.

The municipal transport department proposed the construction department finish repairing the houses this month while allocating an additional 87 houses for resettlement.

Another project, which sought to build a section of ring road from O Dong Mac street to Nguyen Khoai dyke in Hai Ba Trung District, was approved in 2005 with a total investment capital of over VND813 billion (US$38.7 million).

But before it can be completed, 800 households and five agencies must be removed.

Vice Chairman of the Hai Ba Trung District People's Committee Lam Anh Tuan said the route was chosen as part of a pilot programme under an architecture management regulation, but the regulation was not issued, hindering the construction of the project.

Chairman Thao said traffic infrastructure development was one of the urgent tasks facing the capital city.

Apart from shortcomings relating to land clearance, planning and technical design, co-ordination among project investors and relevant agencies, sectors and authorities remained weak, he said.

Some projects were prepared dozens of years ago but not implemented and must now be prepared again, he added.

Source: VNS