HCM CITY — The secretary of HCM City Party Committee Nguyễn Thiện Nhân yesterday promised to find a satisfactory solution to a contentious land dispute in the Thủ Thiêm new urban area in HCM City’s District 2.

Nhân said at a meeting with The Thủ Thiêm residents that the Thủ Thiêm new urban area is “a top priority project, but it has caused people to suffer for many years”.

He noted that the Government Inspectorate has drafted inspection conclusions on the project that have been sent to concerned agencies to be finalised before July 15, as directed by the Prime Minister.

“In essence, if we discover something is wrong, we will admit and correct it,” Nhân said. “I will continue to meet with Thủ Thiêm residents until the dispute is settled. If the households are located outside the boundary of the project area, they will not have to move.” 

Nhân also said the Government Inspectorate would give a clear answer about the project’s boundary and that the city would set up a special task force to determine the legal status of the project.

As many as 140 residents registered to speak at the meeting last night, the highest number so far.

Two weeks ago, Huỳnh Cách Mạng, vice-chairman of the city People’s Committee, and Nguyễn Hồng Điệp, head of the Central Citizens Board of the Government Inspectorate, also met with residents in the Thủ Thiêm new urban area.

Prior to that meeting, a delegation from the HCM City National Assembly held an eight-hour meeting with residents last month. Attending were Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm, chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Council; Phan Nguyễn Như Khuê, deputy head of the delegation; and Trịnh Ngọc Thúy, deputy chief judge of the People’s Court of HCM City. 

More than 50 opinions from the residents were reported to the National Assembly delegation. 

On May 15, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered HCM City authorities and agencies to quickly settle the land disputes involving the Thủ Thiêm new urban area.

The Thủ Thiêm new urban area project was approved by the then-Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt on June 4, 1996, in Decision No 367. 

For many years, residents in the project area have been submitting complaints about land reclamation and site clearance to the city and central governments.

Covering a total area of 657ha, the Thủ Thiêm new urban area is located on Thủ Thiêm peninsula in HCM City’s District 2, which faces downtown District 1 across the Sài Gòn River.

Approved by the Government in 1996, the proposed financial district and mixed-use urban area of HCM City is set to become the largest inner-city development in Southeast Asia.

To develop such a project, it has taken more than 10 years to complete site clearance of most of Thủ Thiêm peninsula, with nearly 15,000 households already resettled. 

More than 99 per cent of land in the proposed area has been cleared. — VNS