Proposal for provinces to decide on urban railway construction

The above proposal was made by Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh in the draft Law on Railways (amended), submitted to the 15th National Assembly , which took place this afternoon (May 27).

Regarding investment in developing railway infrastructure, according to the Minister, the draft law supplements regulations to maximize the mobilization of local resources and other economic sectors to participate in investing in building railway infrastructure.

This includes regulations on encouraging all organizations and individuals to participate in investing in developing railway infrastructure through many forms of contracts (BT, BOT, BTO, BLT, BTL...).

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh spoke this afternoon.

The draft law also stipulates that provincial People's Committees are allowed to immediately decide on the establishment, appraisal and investment decision of urban railway projects without having to carry out procedures on investment policies. Adding this provision is one of the breakthrough solutions to remove bottlenecks in investment procedures for urban railway systems in localities.

At the same time, the draft law also adds regulations allowing localities to use their budgets to participate in compensation, resettlement support, and investment in the construction of a number of items belonging to the national railway infrastructure.

Another new content mentioned by the Minister of Construction is the amendment to clearly define the responsibilities of entities in investing in the construction of national railways, local railways, specialized railways and technical infrastructure works connecting to railways, national railways shared with local railways, and railways shared with roads.

"The addition of these regulations creates a legal basis for investment in railway infrastructure, for example, investment in the construction of bridges connecting railways and roads (Lach Huyen bridge, Can Tho 2 bridge...)," said Minister Minh.

To shorten and simplify the order and procedures for investment implementation, the draft law has added regulations to apply the overall technical design (FEED design) instead of the basic design in the Feasibility Study Report.

On the other hand, the draft law supplements regulations on exploiting land funds in the vicinity of railway stations to institutionalize Conclusion No. 49 of the Politburo to maximize resources for developing railway infrastructure.

Examining the draft law, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said that regarding the planning of the railway network, railway lines and railway stations, the committee proposed to review and clarify new contents that are different from the provisions of the Law on Planning.

If there is no new content, the Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment proposes to refer to the Law on Planning to ensure consistency and conformity with the legal system.

Regarding investment in railway construction and exploitation of land funds in the vicinity of railway stations, according to Mr. Huy, some opinions agree with the Government's Proposal on regulations on mechanisms and policies to remove bottlenecks in investment procedures for the urban railway system in localities to contribute to realizing the goal of completing the urban railway network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by 2035.

In addition, some other opinions suggested reporting and asking for opinions from competent authorities on specific mechanisms and policies to ensure strict compliance with Party regulations and State laws, improving the quality and transparency in law-making work.

Ha Cuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/de-xuat-cac-tinh-duoc-quyet-dinh-xay-duong-sat-do-thi-ar945538.html