Lao Cai City creates consensus in clearing Red River alluvial land

Handling of encroachment cases

Previously, Lao Cai City People's Committee issued Document No. 844/UBND-KT dated May 20, 2024 on handling cases of encroachment and planting trees along both sides of the Red River sandbank.

Panoramic view of riverside alluvial plains in Kim Tan ward and Lao Cai ward.

After the directive, the People's Committees of communes and wards proactively took action, conducted statistics, and mobilized 219 households to dismantle illegal constructions, harvest and move livestock and crops encroaching on the alluvial areas along both sides of the Red River. However, due to the large number of households, large encroached areas, and some households' lack of consensus, the implementation was slow.

Dismantling works, harvesting crops on the Red River alluvial plain.

On June 7, 2024, the City People's Committee continued to issue Document No. 1026/UBND-KT, directing the People's Committees of the communes and wards: Lao Cai, Coc Leu, Kim Tan, Bac Cuong, Nam Cuong, Van Hoa, Binh Minh, Xuan Tang to preside over and coordinate with relevant units to develop and deploy a detailed plan on organizing the mobilization of forces to support households in dismantling illegal construction and installation works, harvesting and moving livestock and invasive crops on the alluvial areas along both sides of the Red River; proactively organize clearing for locations without works or invasive crops; complete the dismantling of works, harvesting and moving crops and livestock before July 10, 2024; coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to count and measure the alluvial area in the area for management according to regulations, not allowing re-encroachment.

After this document was issued, many communes and wards along the Red River took action in accordance with the directive.

Kim Tan Ward is dismantling the stairs built by people to go up and down the alluvial land.

In Kim Tan ward, along the embankment from Pho Moi bridge to Dinh Le street, about 1km long, according to the ward's inspection, people have illegally built many iron stairs on the embankment as a way up and down the alluvial land for farming. Based on the city's direction, the ward has notified 3 times to people in groups 32, 34, 36 with constructions encroaching on the embankment to proactively dismantle them.

Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee - Vu Thanh Giang said: After the notice period, no household had dismantled, so the ward organized a campaign to make a record of handling, recovery, send notices, and invite households to the Ward People's Committee for handling.

Bac Cuong Ward organized forces to support people in dismantling tents.

In Bac Cuong ward, according to local statistics, there are currently 22 households building tents and growing crops on the alluvial land. After receiving instructions from the city, the ward issued a notice on dismantling and moving assets, structures, trees and crops belonging to the land fund outside the embankment and alluvial land along the Red River in the ward. However, after inspection, there are still some households that have not complied. Therefore, since the beginning of July, the ward has organized a campaign to completely dismantle and move constructions, crops and plants on the alluvial land.

Lao Cai Ward is the locality with the largest alluvial area compared to the wards in the North of the city, so this is also the ward with a large number of households and individuals growing crops, fruit trees, and building livestock sheds on the alluvial area. According to local statistics, the alluvial area in the ward is about 20 hectares with about 166 households and individuals cultivating (growing crops, fruit trees, raising livestock and poultry).

Lao Cai ward officials support people in dismantling poultry cages.

Mr. Ngo Vu Hai, Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, said that upon receiving instructions from the City People's Committee, the ward organized a dialogue conference with households and issued a notice for households to voluntarily comply with dismantling the construction and harvesting crops and plants. The difficulty is that the area of ​​crops on the alluvial land is large, and people have been cultivating for a long time, so there are still many disagreements. After issuing the second notice, from July 9 to now, the Ward People's Committee has mobilized forces to support people in dismantling tents and harvesting crops.

Many concerns

During the clearance process, households basically agreed with the city's policy, however, there were still conflicting opinions. With the spirit of openness and listening, on the afternoon of July 18, Lao Cai City People's Committee organized a dialogue with 28 households of Lao Cai Ward, Coc Leu Ward, Van Hoa Commune who have constructions, assets, crops, and livestock on the alluvial land area behind the Red River embankment. These are also households that still have many concerns about the city's policy.

Scene of the dialogue between leaders of city departments and households with constructions and crops cultivated on the alluvial land of the Red River.

Agreeing with the city's development policy, Mr. Dao Van Tuan, Lao Cai Ward, said that he and his family were very concerned about the city's documents on dismantling constructions, harvesting, moving livestock and crops on the alluvial land along both banks of the Red River, which were not based on legal regulations on site clearance. Mr. Tuan said that to ensure the rights of the people, the city needs to issue a notice of land recovery, and follow the correct procedures for reviewing and counting land and assets as when clearing the land for projects.

Panoramic view of the alluvial plain along the Red River in Lao Cai ward from above.

Mr. Dinh Van Phuc, Lao Cai ward, expressed: Since the embankment and alluvial plain were built, his family has started to reclaim the land. The 28 households who filed the complaint are also the ones with the largest land area. His family owns about 2 hectares of alluvial plain land and is currently cultivating many types of crops and plants, which is the family's source of income. In fact, his family has no other income and has to stay on this alluvial plain of the Red River. Mr. Phuc hopes that if the State takes back the land without any compensation or support for crops and plants on the land, it will be a great disadvantage for the people.

Sharing the same sentiment, Mr. Bui Hong Hai, Lao Cai ward shared that to have a garden like today, people had to take advantage of the dry season to go down to the riverbank to roll each rock, cut each reed root, and clean up day after day and month after month to create a vegetable garden. Therefore, they really hope that the State will support the crops and the effort they have put in. Expressing his belief in the government and relevant agencies of the city when organizing a dialogue with the people in a receptive spirit, Mr. Hai said that part of the reason for people's frustration was due to the lack of information about the organization of the Red River Festival, which made people misunderstand that the government was reclaiming land for some business to invest.

Another thing that makes people upset, according to Mr. Tran Van Hai, Pho Moi ward, is that the alluvial land along the river has been cultivated by people for a long time. During the cultivation process, the local officials did not remind them to build stairs up and down, but now they say it is a violation and encroachment.

Ms. Vu Thi Minh Hien, Group 28, Coc Leu, hopes that after organizing the Red River Festival, the local government will guide her and people who want to cultivate on the alluvial land to rent and allocate land according to regulations because in reality, abandoned alluvial land is very wasteful.

Will create conditions for people to use alluvial land in accordance with the law.

At the dialogue, Mr. Le Viet Ha, Deputy Head of the City Department of Natural Resources and Environment, cited some information on legal regulations on the use of alluvial land along rivers and coasts. He emphasized that the land area belongs to the commune or ward that manages it. The government can allocate and lease land in accordance with regulations. When the State reclaims land for socio-economic development, there will be no compensation but only support for assets on the land, but it must comply with legal regulations.

Representatives of the city's functional departments confirmed that the alluvial land of the Red River has not been assigned to any organization or individual for use.

Mr. Ha said that up to now, the management of alluvial land in the city has had some shortcomings, leading to the current situation. Therefore, after the clearance of constructions, crops, and trees for the Red River Festival this time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will advise the City People's Committee to conduct stricter management.

Mr. Tran Van Tu, Chairman of Lao Cai Ward People's Committee, affirmed that up to now, Lao Cai Ward as well as the communes and wards along the Red River of the city have not approved any procedures for land allocation or leasing of alluvial land to organizations and individuals.

Mr. Tu expressed his hope that the people would agree with the city's general policy, and informed that after the festival, if people wish to use alluvial land to grow short-term crops, the ward will have specific instructions for using cultivated land to ensure urban aesthetics and in accordance with regulations.

The clearance of constructions and crops on the alluvial land aims to create a clean and beautiful landscape to serve the organization of the Red River Festival.

Mr. Pham Tuan Cuong, Head of the Economic Department of Lao Cai City, said that the upcoming Red River Festival in the city is an important event, held for the first time, affirming the position and role of Lao Cai province in the region and the whole country. To organize the festival, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the City People's Committee to propagate and mobilize households to dismantle constructions, assets, harvest crops and livestock on the alluvial area behind the Red River embankment to create a bright, clean and beautiful space for the city. Therefore, we hope that people will agree with the general policy and support the local government and functional agencies in performing their duties.

Mr. Cuong also emphasized that the city only conducts the clearance of constructions and crops, not the land, because in reality, the entire area of ​​alluvial land has not been assigned to any organization or individual for use. Regarding people's concerns about whether the State will reclaim it for businesses to do projects, Mr. Cuong affirmed that previously, a business proposed to invest, but it had not yet been approved in principle and had not been approved by the authorities.

At the end of the dialogue, people agreed with the frank and open response spirit of the representatives of the departments and offices, and at the same time hoped that when the city implemented programs and projects, it would provide full and timely information to the people to avoid unnecessary frustration.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/thanh-pho-lao-cai-tao-dong-thuan-trong-giai-toa-bai-boi-song-hong-post387200.html