Hundreds of households in the central coastal Khanh Hoa province's Van Ninh district have claimed compensation for their losses from the building of National Highway No 1.

 The National Highway No. 1.

Most residents here have complained that the construction work has affected the safety of their houses, Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) reported.

According to local residents, many houses have been damaged from the building of the highway.

Digging and rollers produced strong vibrations which created cracks in the walls and seriously affected the foundations of the houses, residents said.

Nguyen Phung Tien, a resident in Van Binh commune, said he had to borrow money to build a new house because his old one collapsed due to the construction.

Many cracks had appeared as a result of the deep digging and the house's foundation was damaged, he said.

"I went to the communal People's Committee to ask aid for rebuilding the house. But they said that I will get assistance later after having the conclusion of the inspection agency," Tien told the newspaper.

Vice chairman of the commune's People's Committee, Tran Ngoc Chien said, 62 households have been inspected but they have not received any compensation.

The building of the highway has affected many households and will continue to do so, he said.

The committee also asked the construction company to compensate residents many times but they are still waiting, he added.

Nguyen Tan Dung, director of the Van Ninh district's Land Development Centre, said more than 250 families have claimed compensation.

The construction company announced their support for repairs but local residents disagreed with it because it was too low, Dung said.

Recently, residents in Van Phuoc commune gathered at the construction site to halt the works, he said.

The local authorities promised to invite an independent inspection agency to examine the losses and calculate the compensation for the residents, said Dung.

The authorities also asked additional support from the investor besides the payment of the insurance company to compensate the resident's loss, he said.

Vu Hai Long, a representative of the investor, admitted that the high capacity of the machines at the construction site caused the damage to many local houses and it was inevitable.

About 400 households asked for compensation, he said.

The compensation is still delayed due to the disagreement between the investor and insurance company, Long said.

The companies are continuously negotiating to find the best solution in compensation for residents, he said.

VNS