HCM City authorities are seeking help from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to resolve a conflict between a property developer and households refusing to move to make way for a residential complex in the North Phuoc Kien residential area in the outlying district of Nha Be.

The Quoc Cuong Gia Lai Joint Stock Company received approval from Nha Be District to build the residential complex, but only a small percentage of families have agreed to the compensation rate.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, vice chairman of the People’s Committee, has asked the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Construction, and Nha Be District People’s Committee to work with the ministry to resolve the issue.

City authorities have urged Nha Be District People’s Committee to review local households’ land-use certificates in the disputed area. House-ownership documents and other assets related to land will be reviewed for 36 cases of unlicensed construction by local residents, according to city authorities.

While waiting for advice from the ministry, the city in the meantime has asked Nha Be District to select two to five households as a "pilot project" as an example of what could happen to other households. The city said the district should examine the households’ violations of construction regulations and take "coercive" action to move out of the area.

District authorities were also asked to work with the project investor Quoc Cuong Gia Lai company to resolve compensation issues and speed up land clearance.

Covering 93ha, the North Phuoc Kien residential area, which is the third phase of the Phuoc Kien residential area project, is under site clearance.

According to the Nha Be District People’s Committee, 73 households have been affected by the project. Of these, only 37 have land-use certificates.

Land transfer dispute

In a related issue, Quoc Cuong Gia Lai company has another project in Phuoc Kien in Nha Be District involved in a scandal related to the transfer of land.

The company reportedly bought more than 30ha of land plots at VND1.29 million (US$56.5) per sq.m, a price that was said to be “extremely low”, from the Tan Thuan One Member Investment and Construction Limited Company.

Secretary of HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has urged the city’s Inspection Committee to examine the actions of authorities responsible for management of enterprises involved in the transfer of 30ha of land in Phuoc Kien Commune.

The head of the city Party’s Committee said a report on any violation committed by individuals or organisations must be submitted to the Standing Committee of the City Party before May 8. — VNS