People donate billions of dong of land to open roads

TP - From a narrow road where people had to move slowly every rush hour and endure flooding after every heavy rain, Kha Van Can Street (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) has been given a new, more spacious and airy look thanks to a volunteer head of the People's Protection Committee who donated billions of dong worth of land to upgrade and widen the road.

New clothes for Tet

Kha Van Can Street (Hiep Binh Chanh Ward, Thu Duc City) is adjacent to the railway corridor on one side and intersects with Road 48 on the other side, with many bustling shops. Just two months ago, this 300m long street was only about 2.5m wide.

The narrow road but densely populated makes people passing through here always haunted by traffic jams, especially during rush hour. The road is also often flooded after every rain.

At the end of 2023, this road section was upgraded and widened by the local government to nearly 6m, double the previous width. The wide road surface was given a new coat before Tet, making it easier for people to travel. The surrounding shops also made it easier to do business. The urban landscape became more spacious and modern.

To expand this road, Mr. Tran Anh Kiet (58 years old, Head of the People's Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward) donated 300 square meters of land that his family was using and handed over 700 square meters of land that the cooperative had given to his family, with a total land area of ​​about 1,000 square meters, for the government to build the road. If calculated according to the lowest land price for compensation for site clearance, the amount of land that Mr. Kiet's family donated to the State is equivalent to 4 - 5 billion VND.

Chairman of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Tuan said that in addition to the newly upgraded road, there are still many narrow sections along Kha Van Can Street, making it difficult for people to move. The locality is making a list and mobilizing households to donate land so that the government can quickly upgrade and expand the road synchronously.

“This amount of money is huge for me. Instead of doing charity, donating land to open a road will help me and my fellow villagers travel more conveniently. Thinking like that, I donated the land, but I cannot weigh and measure the amount of money,” Mr. Kiet shared about his decision to donate land to open a road.

Government and people both benefit

Mr. Kiet said that this land was his parents' dowry, which he used to make a fish pond and then rented out as a parking lot, a pub... After a while, to ensure the safety of the railway corridor, Mr. Kiet left this land vacant. On the opposite side, he also has another land that is being rented out as a shop.

“If the road is wider, the business of the lessor will be more convenient. So, I also benefit from donating the land. With the remaining 1m wide land next to the railway, I will give it to the locality to plant trees, making the road cleaner and more beautiful. In the near future, anyone passing by this road will be surprised by the wide open road, flowers and colorful ornamental plants around,” Mr. Kiet said with a smile.

Once a place that was often flooded, Kha Van Can street has been widened and cleared thanks to a part of donated land to help people travel conveniently. Photo: Nhan Le

Mr. Kiet said that every day, witnessing many people suffering from prolonged traffic jams, he longed to do something to change the place where he was born and raised. As the Head of the People's Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward, every day, Mr. Kiet and his colleagues had to go to this road to coordinate and organize traffic. However, he soon realized that this was only a temporary solution. Therefore, instead of waiting for the State to compensate and clear the land, which would take a long time, Mr. Kiet decided to donate land so that the new road could be completed quickly.

No need to be honored

This is not the first time Mr. Kiet's family has donated land to build roads. In the 2000s, he donated hundreds of meters of land to build Road No. 48. Thanks to that, the appearance of the whole area has changed, more and more houses have sprung up, and business and trade have become more vibrant. With his contributions to the community, Mr. Kiet was honored as an outstanding citizen of Thu Duc City in 2023. Many neighboring households, upon seeing Mr. Kiet's work, also agreed to donate land to build roads.

“I don’t donate land to be honored. What makes me happiest is seeing the place where I was born and raised change every day. From a swamp surrounded by rice fields in my childhood memories, this place has become a bustling neighborhood. The roads are gradually changing. In the near future, the remaining part of Kha Van Can road will be expanded, synchronized and connected, this is my greatest happiness,” Mr. Kiet confided.

Mr. Tran Anh Kiet (58 years old, Head of the People's Protection Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward) donated 300 square meters of his family's land and handed over 700 square meters of land from the cooperative to his family, with a total area of ​​about 1,000 square meters handed over for the government to build roads. Photo: Nhan Le

Chairman of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Tuan said that thanks to Mr. Kiet donating land, the local government was able to quickly expand and upgrade this road before Tet, creating joy and excitement for the people.

According to Mr. Tuan, if we have to follow procedures such as price appraisal, compensation price... to clear the land, it will be very difficult and take a long time to wait for funding. Therefore, in addition to Mr. Kiet's case, last year, the locality also mobilized 16 households to donate 390 square meters of land to widen alley 182 Hiep Binh street. Previously, this alley was only 1 - 2 meters wide, after being widened, 16-seat cars can circulate.

Nhan Le

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-dan-hien-dat-nhieu-ty-dong-mo-duong-post1614011.tpo