QUẢNG NINH  — The People’s Committee of Cô Tô Island, a tourist hotspot in Quảng Ninh Province, plans to eliminate all wooden huts illegally built on defence land by the end of this month.

Hoàng Bá Nam, chairman of the committee said local residents began building the huts on the beach in late 2003 and attracted tourists to the site.

So far, as many as 225 huts have been set up along the beach, polluting the beach due to the large amount of garbage and untreated wastewater. The tents have also encroached on preventive forest planted nearby.  

The committee, in co-operation with local soldiers, has examined and concluded that more than 430,000 square metres of land in Hồng Vàn Beach have been encroached.

As many as 37 households paid some VNĐ40 billion ($1.76 million) to build the huts, with 29 households building on defence land and eight others on public land.

Previously, in April, the committee banned all encroachment of defence and public land and directed local households to remove all the huts.

In September, Nguyễn Văn Đọc, secretariat of the provincial Party Committee asked the committee to prepare measures to tackle illegal building on defence land before September 30.

Chairman of the island’s People’s Committee Hoàng Bá Nam said that the committee had plans to reduce financial losses for residents.

Households with land ownership certificates for certain areas on the island would have their huts moved to those areas and those who did not have their own land would have their huts moved to a temporary area allocated by the committee. The committee will also help move the tents.  — VNS