Land withdrawal and compensation to clear the site emerged as the biggest threats to the progress of the airport in Long Thanh district. If the site clearance is completed as planned, the first phase of construction could be cut down.
According to local authorities, some 5,000 hectares must be cleared for construction while a site covering over 360 hectares is needed to build the two resettlement areas of Loc An and Binh Son following the site clearance. These areas will be home to over 5,200 households.
Nguyen Ngoc Hung, deputy head of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the department had submitted to the provincial administration a proposal on reclaiming land from and subsequent compensations for the Dong Nai Rubber Corporation.
Long Thanh district authorities made an announcement on reclaiming 5,000 hectares of land for more than 5,200 households across six communes.
Hung added that the provincial Project Management Board has worked together with both the provincial Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Construction to review design documents for the project and to submit them to the provincial government for approval soon.
The process of reviewing and approving the project items is now eight weeks behind schedule, he admitted.
In March, the provincial Project Management Board is scheduled to transfer 50 per cent of the total compensations needed to reclaim rubber farms of the Dong Nai Rubber Corportation.
Dinh Quoc Thai, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, said that the site clearance must be kept under extremely close watch as any delays will slow down the entire project’s progress.
The project is scheduled to be sent to a recently established State Council in order to review the feasibility report for approval in late April. Then it will be submitted to the National Assembly in October and then onto the Prime Minister by the end of 2019.
The Ministry of Transport is rushing to collaborate with stakeholders to speed up the site clearance and handle relevant issues.
Deputy Minister Tho said that the airport construction is slated for October 2020 with the first phase of the airport being put into service by 2025.
If the site is ready, the construction of terminals could be hastened and be finalized within three years, he stated.
Source: vov