Phu Quoc district in particular has faced rampantconstruction violations, including building without permits and illegalresidential construction on farmland.
From August 2017 to April, the province checked646 construction works in the island district, and of these, 358 violated laws.Most of the offenders were in the communes of Cua Can, Cua Duong, Ganh Dau andDuong To.
The inspection team fined investors of 54 out ofthe checked 646 construction projects, while 196 others had to be demolished.
Of the total number, investors of 108 projectswere required to ask for a permission licence from authorised agencies.
Le Quoc Anh, Director of the provincial Departmentof Construction and head of the inspection team, said the number of violationson construction and subdivision of farmland were rampant in the district.
However, local authorised agencies’ management ofconstruction and land has been ineffective, he said, adding that they had notchecked projects’ land use regularly and had not imposed severe fines onviolators.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee PhamVu Hong told the Phu Quoc District People’s Committee and relevant authoritiesto strengthen management of land use more closely and draw up a detailed landplan and publish it.
In addition to construction violations, inspectionteams also fined 14 out of 29 illegal deforestation and forest encroachmentcases.
The area of damaged protective forest andspecial-use forest was discovered to total more than 53,500 square metres. Inaddition, the inspectors also found 43 hectares of forested land destroyed in abuffer zone.
Phu Quoc district also has many delayed projects. Of thetotal 420, many have been delayed for at least 10 years, according to the PhuQuoc Economic Zone Management Board.
Among the delayed projects, 178 have received investmentlicences. Sixty have completed procedures for investment, land use, andconstruction.
The lack of roads that connect to the projects hasalso caused delays, as well as the slow compensation payments to affected localresidents.
Hong told the management board to create favorableconditions for investors and speed up land clearance.
The board recommended withdrawing licences of 10delayed projects on Phu Quoc Island.
It said that it would review projects that havebeen delayed since they were approved in 2007.
As of mid-June, the island had attracted 279projects with a total area of 10,754 hectares.
Of these, 36 projects have been put intooperation. Thirty-five are under construction. The rest are completinginvestment procedures.-VNS/VNA