Use of forest land and encroachment areas for industrial development is prohibited

DNHN - At a recent briefing, the Standing Committee of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee stated this.

Specifically, the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee directed not to use special-use forest land, mangrove forests, and sea encroachment areas for industrial development; discourage investment attraction for low-tech, environmentally unfriendly projects; discourage the attraction of projects that are labour-intensive, water-intensive, energy-intensive, insecure, and disordered...

Furthermore, the Standing Provincial Party Committee highlighted that the new award of industrial development projects would be limited to no more than 500 hectares in size. Simultaneously, rigorous management procedures for projects that have been given land but are delayed to put into use or utilised ineffectively must be implemented; to ensure the maximum potential of land for development.

Continue to examine the minimum land fund of existing industrial parks to organize the land fund to fulfil the needs for housing buildings, public works, utilities, and social welfare for employees in the region.

According to the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee, there are 5 economic zones and 16 industrial zones in the area, which are planned and divided among 10/13 localities and cover a total area of about 378,180 hectares. In terms of building planning, 3/5 of economic zones have been authorized so far. 1 economic zone has been authorized for general construction planning and 1/2000 detailed planning. Six industrial parks in the province have secondary projects in stable production and business operations; three industrial parks are preparing and finalizing adjustment plans for approval; five industrial parks are focusing on site clearance, infrastructure investment, and attracting investors; and four industrial parks have been preparing and approving zoning plans for investor selection.

In recent years, activities to promote and attract investment in industrial parks and economic zones in the area have been gradually renewed and strengthened in the direction of selectively selecting projects with large investment capital that has a brand, class, spread, and added value, modern technology, are environmentally friendly, have professions appropriate to the province's development, actively contribute to economic and social development, and revenue collection.

To date, the province's industrial parks and economic zones have 283 legal non-budget investment projects, including 90 FDI projects with total investment capital above USD 4,300 million and 193 domestic projects with total investment capital exceeding VND 111,800 billion.

Although economic zones and industrial zones are increasingly stated to be the breakthrough, driving force for socioeconomic growth, reality demonstrates that the efficiency of economic and industrial park development is extremely effective. The industry's potential and advantages are still not being realized.

The operational model has mostly been developed in breadth, attracting multi-sectors and multi-fields; investment attraction remains low; technological content is minimal, and the development of economic zones and industrial zones has not yet secured sustainability. One of the reasons for this predicament is a lack of execution; state administration has not been effective and efficient.

As a result, the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee requested the Provincial People's Committee Party Committee and departments, branches, and localities to assess and objectively recognize the contribution of economic zones and industrial zones to the economic development of the economy – the society in recent years, particularly at the state management stage, particularly in the field of land in economic zones and industrial zones. Simultaneously, research to develop legislation and standards for luring investment projects in economic and industrial zones.

P.V