Thanh Hoa Resolves Difficulties for Industrial Cluster Projects
Recent obstacles in land conversion quotas for rice fields, land valuation, and insufficient collaboration from certain district-level People’s Committees and investors have stalled some industrial cluster projects in Thanh Hóa.
On April 11, 2023, the Thanh Hóa Provincial People’s Committee held a conference to discuss the progress of technical infrastructure investments in local industrial clusters.
Current Status and Challenges
As of July 23, 2024, Thanh Hóa has established 46 industrial clusters with enterprises as investors. Specific clusters such as Hoàng Sơn in Nông Cống District have been revoked due to the investor’s lack of capability, and one cluster is on hold due to its location within a historical-cultural site. Two clusters, Vạn Hà and Thái Thắng, have completed infrastructure and are attracting secondary investment projects, while the remaining 42 clusters are ongoing.
Challenges for these clusters include:
- Lack of land conversion quotas for rice fields.
- Delays in land review and administrative procedures by some investors and districts.
- Difficulties in land valuation and issuing land use rights certificates, leading to delays in compensation, site clearance, and project execution.
- Insufficient collaboration from some district-level People’s Committees and investors.
Provincial Measures and Directives
Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hóa Provincial People’s Committee, Mai Xuân Liêm, demanded that local leaders and investors report on progress, challenges, and commitment to completion timelines. Local authorities are urged to focus on site clearance, report any issues beyond their authority to the Provincial People’s Committee, and submit monthly progress reports to the Department of Industry and Trade for consolidation and reporting.
Mr. Liêm emphasized the need for departments, boards, and sectors to streamline investment, construction, land, and environmental protection procedures to support investors in completing their projects.
For each industrial cluster, Mr. Liêm instructed specific leaders to address and resolve any obstacles, and accelerate the investment progress under the “5 – 5 – 3” spirit:
- Investors submit procedures to district authorities for resolution within 5 days.
- Districts and sectors resolve these procedures within 5 days.
- Departments forward issues to the Provincial People’s Committee, which will respond within 3 working days.
Long-term Plans and Actions
According to the Thanh Hóa Provincial Plan for 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2045 (approved in Decision No. 153/QĐ-TTg on February 27, 2023, by the Prime Minister), the province aims to have 115 industrial clusters with a total area of 5,267.25 hectares by 2030.
The slow infrastructure investment progress was a heated topic at the 17th session of the Thanh Hóa Provincial People’s Council in December 2023. To address the inadequate and inconsistent infrastructure, Đỗ Trọng Hưng, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council, called for serious and effective implementation of committed solutions.
Early this year, the Chairman of the Thanh Hóa Provincial People’s Committee issued Plan No. 36/KH-UBND to accelerate the investment progress of industrial cluster infrastructure. The plan mandates strict revocation of delayed projects due to investors’ lack of capability or failure to mobilize resources to expedite construction.
Source: VnEconomy