Living in insecurity next to a slow construction route

People and vehicles fell into open sewers; many households suffered from water shortages; dust and pollution from the unfinished residential road expansion project… That is the situation of households in Quarter 9, Hong Hai Ward, Ha Long City (Quang Ninh).

For many days now, residents of Quarter 9, Hong Hai Ward, Ha Long City have been living in frustration, as the renovation project of two inter-group roads, which is less than 1km long, has been carried out by the construction unit since September 2024 and is still unfinished.

Reporters' observations at this construction site show that from the beginning to the end of the two routes, there are no workers, only a few small machines, equipment, and materials scattered around; soil, rocks, and digging are scattered everywhere, the stench from open sewers is strong; the manhole covers are placed in sketchy locations but there are no warning signs along the route...

Dangerous areas are only covered with thin nylon ropes by the construction unit, there are no warning signs. Photo: Nguyen Quy

Mr. Xuan Thanh (resident of Ward 9) said: With this construction method, we don't know when the road will be completed. Before the Lunar New Year, the residents requested the construction unit to complete the base (aggregate material) on schedule, so that people could travel conveniently during Tet and the village roads would be less dirty, but it has not been completed yet.

According to Mr. Thanh, the sewer lines were implemented very slowly because the contractor did not arrange additional manpower, allowing wastewater to flow onto the streets, which was very unsanitary. "The construction did not ensure safety, making it difficult for people to travel and causing traffic safety risks..." - Mr. Thanh said.

In front of Mr. Tran Van Huan's house - Head of Residential Group No. 2, Ward 9 (Hong Hai Ward), due to the unfinished road construction, there were 4 accidents in the sewer in front of Mr. Huan's house, causing both people and vehicles to fall into the sewer.

“The contractor’s construction method includes installing safety railings around areas with deep holes, not just temporary thin ropes. The complaints from the people to the authorities and the construction unit, until now, it seems like no one has heard them,” said Mr. Quan (a resident of Ward 9).

Both the person and the vehicle plunged into the ditch on a road under construction in Group 2, Quarter 9, Hong Hai Ward, Ha Long City (Quang Ninh). Photo: Provided by residents

Regarding the above issue, Mr. Pham Van Duc - Vice Chairman of Hong Hai Ward People's Committee said: On April 3, 2024, Hong Hai Ward People's Council issued a Resolution approving the investment policy for 2 projects: Renovation of the inter-group road 2, 4, 6, zone 9, Hong Hai Ward and Renovation of the inter-group road 1A, 1B, 2, 3, zone 9, Hong Hai Ward. Accordingly, the Ward People's Committee was assigned as the investor, with the total estimated investment of 2 projects being 14.2 billion VND (capital source from Ha Long City's budget with additional target), the total length of 2 routes is about 850m, starting from September 2024.

Regarding the feedback from households in Ward 9, Mr. Duc said that he had received the petition sent to the ward, and the ward had also organized meetings and worked with contractors, requesting that the units resolve the petitions of the people.

“Right after receiving the people's opinions, the ward requested the contractors to have plans to fence and warn to ensure safety and not affect the lives of the people in the area. At the same time, it will resolutely handle according to regulations if the construction unit violates the contract (according to the contract, the project must be completed before March 21, 2025)" - Mr. Duc said.

To find out the reason for the project's delay, Dai Doan Ket Newspaper reporters contacted the Director of Trieu Vu Construction Joint Stock Company - the contractor implementing the project to renovate the road connecting groups 2, 4, 6, zone 9, Hong Hai ward. However, the representative of this company refused to answer.

Thus, the time to complete the project according to the contract has come, but all the construction items on the two routes are still unfinished. Hundreds of households in Zone 9, Hong Hai Ward still live in a polluted environment every day, with difficulty traveling and the fear of accidents, while both routes, less than 1km long, have not been completed for half a year.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/song-bat-an-ben-tuyen-duong-thi-cong-i-ach-10301983.html