HCMC – Thirty-eight houses illegally built on agricultural land with an area of 4,600 square meters located on Street 40, Quarter 8 of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward in HCMC’s Thu Duc District, were razed today, December 15.
Some 100 police officers, soldiers, doctors and firefighters were dispatched to the location, the local media reported.
Some residents proposed the authorities delay the demolition and pledged to move out of their houses after the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday or Tet, as they have yet to find a new place to live. However, the competent forces rejected their proposal and continued the demolition process.
In June last year, the competent agencies discovered that Le Tan Tai, who owns the 4,600-square-meter agricultural land, was constructing houses illegally.
As such, he was fined and forced to restore the status quo of the land for his improper conversion of the land use purpose.
Besides, the government of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward affirmed that the competent agencies had yet to grant any license for construction on the land. However, Tai continued his construction.
On February 18, the ward authorities and the relevant agencies counted and measured the land, finding that a total of 38 houses were built illegally. These houses were sold to many households.
The competent forces decided to destroy these houses after failing to persuade the households to move several times.
