Enforcement of illegal villas built on forest land

Hanoi Ba Vi District has forcibly demolished two villas with an area of 500-1,000 m2 illegally built on forest land, and four others are being considered for demolition.

All six of the violating villas are located in the Dong lagoon area, Van Hoa commune, built about 10 years ago, two stories high with full amenities. Two of them were abandoned and demolished on May 17. The remaining four have been subject to enforcement decisions and are completing procedures.

Mr. Chu Manh Huy, Vice Chairman of Van Hoa Commune, said that before organizing the enforcement, the functional departments of the district and commune had propagandized for the household owners to dismantle the illegal constructions themselves and restore the original state, but they did not comply.

Explaining why the remaining four villas have not been demolished, Mr. Huy said that the owners of these villas are not local, so it is difficult to contact them. Furthermore, these are solid structures, and demolishing them would take time and money. The cost of demolishing the first two villas would be about 100 million VND.

Authorities demolished an illegal villa on forest land in the Dong Hill area on May 10. Photo: Hoang Phong — Authorities demolished an illegal villa on forest land in the Dong Hill area on May 10. Photo: *Hoang Phong*

The enforcement of the villas is based on the inspection conclusions of the Central Inspection Committee and the Hanoi Party Committee issued in March 2019. Accordingly, the Central Inspection Committee concluded that the Standing Committee of the Ba Vi District Party Committee violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; lax leadership, lack of inspection, allowing many violations in personnel work, land management and use, construction order management, and project implementation in the area; and did not strictly comply with the inspection conclusions and directions of the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Party Committee.

The district has disciplined individuals and groups involved in the construction of permanent housing on forest land in Van Hoa commune.