Carefully assess the impact of administrative mergers on the progress of transport projects

Regarding the Quy Nhon – Pleiku Expressway Project, delegates affirmed that the investment is necessary and completely consistent with the spirit of the Party's major resolutions, especially Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW dated October 6, 2022 of the Politburo on socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Central Highlands region to 2030, with a vision to 2045. At the same time, this project is also consistent with Resolution No. 81/2023 of the National Assembly on the national master plan for the period 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2050. In particular, this expressway is identified as one of the important East-West economic corridors, connecting Pleiku – Quy Nhon as a gateway to the sea of ​​the Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia development triangle area.

Delegate Tran Hong Nguyen discussed in the group on the afternoon of May 22.

Delegates assessed that the project dossier basically met the provisions of the Law on Public Investment. However, among the 9 specific policies proposed by the Government to implement the project, delegates said that some contents had been legalized in the draft laws submitted to the National Assembly at the 9th session, so careful consideration was needed to avoid duplication or legal conflicts.

Specifically, the first policy is related to the decentralization of authority to decide on investment in component projects. The second policy refers to the authority to decide on investment policies. The third policy is about bidding. The fourth policy is related to the ability to balance capital for the project. The fifth policy allows the simultaneous implementation of the preparation, appraisal and approval of feasibility study reports, technical designs, bidding documents and request documents. The sixth policy is about compensation, support and resettlement. The seventh policy is about the exploitation of minerals as common construction materials to serve the project. The eighth policy regulates the arrangement of construction solid waste disposal sites and the use of specialized rice-growing land as land. The ninth policy is related to the arrangement of capital plans for the project, costs for performing the tasks of the investor, the project management board and consulting expenses during the investment preparation phase.

Among them, the delegate noted that the first, fourth and ninth policies have been stipulated in the current Law on Public Investment, and are being amended and supplemented in the draft laws submitted to the National Assembly in this session. If the draft laws are passed, these contents will be automatically legalized, and there is no need to continue to stipulate them in the resolution, in order to avoid duplication or overlap between the law and the resolution. The delegate suggested that the Government closely update the issuance of new legal documents to ensure that the resolution is implemented correctly, consistently and effectively.

Regarding the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway Project Phase 1, delegate Tran Hong Nguyen expressed concern that the total cost of compensation, support and resettlement of the project after review increased by nearly 49% compared to the initial estimate. This is a very large increase, especially with strong fluctuations in compensation prices in Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces. The delegate requested the Government to clarify the reasons and analyze specifically the factors that caused such high costs to ensure transparency and efficiency in budget use.

Another issue noted by delegates is the merger of provincial administrative units, which is expected to be implemented from July 1, 2025. The change in administrative boundaries may affect the agency responsible for allocating and disbursing capital according to the new area, especially for the local budget capital serving site clearance work. Delegates requested the Government to carefully assess the impact of administrative mergers on the progress of project implementation, in order to ensure consistency, continuity and not interrupt the implementation process.

Finally, the delegate pointed out that the documents submitted to the National Assembly this time mentioned the adjustment of land use structure, but the explanation and specific proposals were not clear. The delegate suggested that the Government supplement this content fully to ensure the project documents are complete and clear, facilitating supervision and implementation.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/danh-gia-ky-tac-dong-sap-nhap-hanh-chinh-den-tien-do-cac-du-an-giao-thong-130428.html