Monday was the deadline to resettle over the occupants of over 4,700 shanties, according to the Decree No. 57 approved by the city a year ago. Yet most of the buildings in the area for resettlement remain in unsecured condition.

House without entry

The E and F zones in the 17 hectare resettlement area in Thu Thiem, An Phu, District 2 are still empty and covered with grass. Many families refuse to build their houses because infrastructure has not been built.

Pham Van Phe, a representative of a household assigned to Zone F, said his household could not live in an area with stagnant water and only one drain 30 cm wide. Many families who were allocated lands can not bring in building materials.

The city plans to build an interim road only 8 m wide, although this road should be 40 m wide. Meetings have been held, but there has been no resolution of the issue.

When we visited the area at the end of June, we saw a steam roller, but no workers. The road has not been covered by rocks. Things are the about the same as a year ago. A resident said that although many households will receive their lands in early July, they will not be able to carry building materials to the site without a road. Some families who built houses near the road are closed in because of the lack of entry points.

Land belonging to 20 or 21 households was confiscated to build the interim road, according to the project’s managing committee. The city could not finish the project in late December 2007 as planned and the road is not projected to be finished until the third quarter of this year.

To get to a four-hectare resettlement area in Phu Dinh in District 8, we had to pass a dusty and rocky 200-m road named Ho Ngoc Lam. This road is always muddy even in dry weather. Although this is a completed project, the developer did not parcel out the land to the 79 prospective residents until last week – three months later than planned, according to the managing committee.

Standard not met

The objectives of the project are to develop, upgrade, improve, and create a new and more modern look for the city. Completed infrastructure will create favorable conditions for residents to live and work. The fact is that many resettlements fall short of standard.

A resettlement area in Go De, District 12 was scheduled to be completed in 2004, but infrastructure has still not been built. Many other resettlement areas are in the same situation. Not only is technical infrastructure absent, but also the social infrastructure. Families are not happy with their new homes. They do not believe in the projects and are fed up with resettlement.

Recently, many investors have been questioned and punished for the delays. But the highest fine is only VND10 million (US$600). Many people think that this amount should be higher. To solve this problem, local authorities should play a key role.