CAN THO – An additional VND137 billion is needed for the site clearance and compensation work of the second phase of a project to upgrade the Cho Gao Canal in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, said Cao Tan Huong, vice chairman of Tien Giang’s Cho Gao District.
Huong told The Saigon Times on April 18 that the site clearance and compensation cost had been approved at over VND556 billion, but it was based on the old land price publicized by the Tien Giang government.
Since 2021, the State has applied a new land price list, so the site clearance cost has increased.
According to a report by the Cho Gao District government, over VND354.5 billion has been paid to households affected by the project.
The management board of inland waterway projects under the Ministry of Transport has responded that Cho Gao District should use up the allocated capital before proposing to add more capital.
The second phase of the Cho Gao Canal upgrade project requires an estimated investment of more than VND1.3 trillion.
The project will include packages to dredge nearly 10 kilometers of the canal, and build items to protect the southern bank of the canal as well as bridges and roads passing through Binh Phuc Nhut and Binh Phan communes and Cho Gao Town.
After upgradation, the canal will be over 3.5 meters deep and 50 meters wide. The project was expected to be completed by 2023.
The Cho Gao Canal is over 28 kilometers long and connects the Tien and Vam Co rivers. The canal is a key waterway linking the Mekong Delta and HCMC and serves over 2,000 water transport vehicles per day.
The Ministry of Transport completed the first phase of the Cho Gao Canal upgrade project in 2004.
