Residents illegal build houses on top of the historic citadel wall. (Photo: VNA) Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will splash out more than 4 trillion VND (172 million USD) relocating 4,201 households illegally residing in the ancient citadel’s walls by 2025.
At a meeting held by the provincial People’s Council on July 8 to review the socio-economic achievements in the first half, the authority revealed that 2.73 trillion VND would be used for land clearance process, while the remainder is for the construction of a resettlement area.
The illegal housing and lodging started after the war due to the upheaval as well as the wrong perception of local authorities over the role of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnamese history.
There were several ways of occupying the walls. The majority of them have built concrete structures, breaking part of the wall to make entrance alleys. Many others construct temporary houses on top and erect wooden ladders to reach them. Others have made use of collapsed sections, clearing the debris for housing or demolishing the wall themselves to construct homes.
The large number of illegal residents has caused critical damage and subsidence to the wall. Wastewater and farming activities on the top of the wall have also caused erosion. Therefore, it is important to protect the site, especially as all relics built by the Nguyen dynasty in Hue were reconised as world cultural heritages by the UNESCO.
At the event, the local authority said it supported the construction of new terminal and apron at Phu Bai International Airport, and helped Vietravel set up its own airline in Thua Thien-Hue as well as Bamboo Airways and other carriers to open new routes.
Besides, focus was given to the upgrade of Cam Lo- La Son highway, and construction of four-lane Hai Van tunnel.
Regarding the new-style rural building programme, the province is striving to have 54-58 communes bestowed with the status, or 53 percent of the total communes.
In the first half, the province continued carrying out the “Hue- the capital of gastronomy” project, developing smart tourism information system, and creating a smart space to turn itself into a friendly destination for visitors, among others.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho said that the province had better socio-economic performance as compared to the same time last year.
The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) expanded 6.87 percent, a moderate growth in the central area. Meanwhile, the province’s state budget collection stood at 3.8 trillion VND, and nearly 8,700 jobs were generated for local labourers.
During January-June, the province granted investment licenses for 16 projects, and approved capital adjustment for 4 projects, which had a combined value of over 28 trillion VND.
Also in the period, the locality earned 2.32 trillion VND from hosting 2.49 million visitors, up 2.1 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
However, Tho said the GRDP growth did not meet the set target, and the economic growth lagged behind expectations due to shortage of breakthrough measures. In addition, incomprehensive tourism infrastructure and lack of excellent tours made the locality not attractive enough for visitors to stay longer.-VNA
VNA
