THỪA THIÊN HUẾ — Twenty four projects in the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế may have their licences revoked because of serious delays getting off the ground.

For the last 10 years, the province had introduced several incentives to attract investors.

But despite this, many projects which were allocated land have been delayed for years.

For example, in 2005 the local government allocated 150ha of land in Trung Thạnh Village of Phong Chương Commune to HCM City-based Bảo Toàn A Company to build a silicate factory.

After receiving the land, the company did not start its construction despite pressure from local government and now 13 years later, the land is still wasted.

Delays have caused serious headaches to local government officials as the land could not be re-allocated to other companies in need.

Lê Viết Mẫn, a local farmer told online newspaper vov.vn many households did not have land to grow on, even though the factory land wasn’t being used.

“If the 150ha of land were given to the local people, it would help people much”, said Mẫn.

“ If the land used for planting cajuput trees, people can earn dozens of millions of đồng a year”, he said.

A similar situation happened in Đức Phú Village of Phong Hòa Commune.

A solar battery factory was given land in 2013, but it has still not opened

Nguyễn Khoa Toàn, a commune’s official said: “The people had allocated more than105 ha of land for the project with investor’s promise of creating 300 jobs for the locals. But the project was stopped a few months later”.

“It would have been better if the land were used by the locals for agricultural production”, Toàn said.

 Dozens of projects in industrial zones of Phong Điền, Phú Bài, Chân Mây - Lăng Cô faced similar problems.

Last August, the provincial People’s Council asked the People’s Committee to consider revoking delayed projects with total land areas of 350ha.

So far, the provincial People’s Committee had stopped operations at 12 projects in some industrial and economic zones including the solar battery project, Lập An -Lăng Cô resort project, dredging in seaports of Tư Hiền, Tư Dung and Thuận An seas.

The total registered capital of the 12 projects were VNĐ7.3 trillion (US$313 million) but only VND50 billion (US$2.1 million) has been made.

According to Phan Thiên Định, director of the province’s Planning and Investment Department, the main reason for the delay of projects was financial and management weakness of investors. – VNS