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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference on removing difficulties, promoting expressway projects and implementing ODA projects in the Mekong Delta region. (Source: VGP News) |
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang co-chaired the conference. Attending the conference were ministers, leaders of central ministries and branches; leaders of 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region.
Earlier, on the same morning, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang led a Government delegation to survey and work with the People's Committee of Can Tho City on the implementation of a number of ODA projects in the city, including the investment project to build the Can Tho Oncology Hospital with a scale of 500 beds, using ODA loans from Hungary, the Can Tho river embankment project using loans from France, and the Tran Hoang Na bridge project using loans from the World Bank (WB).
Removing bottlenecks in raw materials for highway projects
Currently, in the Mekong Delta region, there are 8 expressway projects with a total length of more than 460km, with a total investment of about 94,400 billion VND, including: North-South Expressway Project, Eastern section, Can Tho-Ca Mau; Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang Expressway; Cao Lanh-An Huu Expressway; My An-Cao Lanh Expressway; My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway; My Thuan 2 Bridge, Cao Lanh-Lo Te and Lo Te-Rach Soi Expressway.
According to the leaders of ministries, branches and localities, the implementation of basic projects is currently favorable, however, there are some difficulties and problems, mainly related to site clearance and the source of roadbed materials. In particular, the site clearance and handover basically meet the construction requirements, but in some residential areas, technical infrastructure works are still prolonged, which risks affecting the construction progress and completion of projects.
Regarding the source of embankment materials, so far, the projects have basically identified the source of supply, but if the procedures for supplying materials for the projects are not completed promptly, it will easily affect the projects. For the North-South Expressway Project, Eastern section, Can Tho-Ca Mau, currently only Dong Thap province has identified enough source of materials to supply for the project; An Giang and Vinh Long provinces do not have enough source for the project.
After listening to the opinions of leaders of ministries, branches and localities, concluding on this content, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the Mekong Delta is a particularly important strategic area in terms of politics, economy, society, national security and defense, and diplomacy of the whole country; especially the agricultural center of the whole country.
Over the past years, the Party and the State have issued many policies and implemented many solutions to promote the potential and advantages, creating momentum for the development of the Mekong Delta. The institutionalization of the Party's policies through State mechanisms, policies and laws, resource allocation and implementation have been very active and systematic. In particular, along with the whole country, the Mekong Delta has received investment, creating a breakthrough in infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure.
Currently, 5 plans related to transport infrastructure have been completed, including plans for road, railway, inland waterway, sea and air transport. Accordingly, the main highway axes of the Mekong Delta region have gradually taken shape.
Thereby, solving bottlenecks in infrastructure and human resources; creating new development space; improving the quality of human resources, restructuring labor; contributing to promoting growth and development in the Mekong Delta region.
Recently, the Mekong Delta has started a series of expressway projects, while accelerating previously started projects. Currently, the Mekong Delta has completed and put into operation the first phase of expressways with a total length of 171km; 8 projects are being implemented, ensuring basic completion in the 2021-2025 period, put into operation in 2026. Thus, by 2026, the Mekong Delta region will have about 554km of expressways.
The implementation of expressway projects in the Mekong Delta has been basically smooth, on track and achieved encouraging results. However, the implementation of transport projects in the Mekong Delta still faces some difficulties such as: Site clearance, source of materials for road filling, project management, contractor and consultant capacity, disbursement procedures, complicated construction conditions, etc.
Considering that it is normal for problems to arise during the implementation process and must be coordinated to resolve them immediately, the Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to ministries and branches to handle the above-mentioned problems. Continue to complete the prescribed procedures, complete site clearance in the third quarter, resettle to ensure people's lives are better than or equal to their old places, and relocate technical works.
Delegates said that compensation and site clearance are major bottlenecks in implementing public investment projects, including ODA projects. (Source: VGP News) |
In particular, the biggest bottleneck of the projects is ensuring the source of sand for filling, so the Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to ministries, branches, localities and each project; requiring the completion of procedures for exploitation in July 2023, to avoid affecting the progress of project completion.
To speed up the progress of project implementation and resolve difficulties and problems, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Construction, Natural Resources and Environment, especially the Ministry of Transport and the provinces and cities assigned as project management agencies to focus on directing and requiring the Project Management Board, supervision consultants and contractors to promote the highest sense of responsibility, implement projects to ensure progress, quality, safety, techniques, aesthetics, and environmental sanitation; mobilize human resources and modern machinery and equipment to construct as quickly as possible; strictly comply with technical requirements and regulations of relevant laws.
The Prime Minister noted that the implementation of projects must strictly follow the requirements of ensuring quality; ensuring progress; ensuring safety, technique, aesthetics, and ecological environment; not unreasonably increasing capital, not dividing bidding packages; fighting corruption, negativity, group interests, and waste at all stages; ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of the people, ensuring the harmony of interests of the State, people, and enterprises; promptly rewarding good performance and promptly handling violations.
The Prime Minister reminded that lessons should be learned from the implementation of previous expressway projects and the results achieved should be maximized. He requested ministries, branches, provinces and cities to direct investors, especially leaders, to closely follow reality and projects, and to be resolute in managing and managing quality, progress, and investment capital throughout the project implementation process, ensuring that projects are completed on schedule and with required quality, without exceeding capital.
Relevant ministries and branches coordinate with the ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Construction, Natural Resources and Environment, Transport and People's Committees of provinces and cities where the project passes to promptly complete assigned tasks; continue to create favorable conditions, promptly remove difficulties and obstacles, overcome all challenges to implement the project, and control progress.
Contractors urgently mobilize human resources and construction equipment to ensure progress, efficiency, safety, technique and aesthetics. Consulting units must enhance their responsibility, work professionally and independently, regularly inspect and supervise to ensure safety, quality and progress; absolutely not for personal gain, not lowering standards, lowering supervision, actively preventing and combating corruption, negativity, waste...
For projects that have not completed site clearance, the Prime Minister requested Party committees at all levels and People's Committees of provinces and cities to carry out site clearance and relocation of technical infrastructure, ensuring handover of 100% of the site area in the third quarter of 2023 (no later than December 31, 2023).
Pay special attention to resettlement work and support for stabilizing production so that people have new places to live, new jobs, and new livelihoods that are at least equal to and better than their old places. This is the consistent viewpoint of the Party; it is recommended that Party committees and local authorities pay attention and direct the implementation of this work well.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also directed and assigned tasks to remove difficulties and obstacles in a number of specific projects; required individuals participating in the project to raise their sense of responsibility for their work, for the people, and for the Fatherland; with the spirit of "all for the people, for the strength and prosperity of the country."
Increasing ODA project funding for the Mekong Delta
Currently, the Mekong Delta region has 62 projects using ODA capital and foreign preferential loans implemented by the local authority, with a total capital of VND56,442 billion (equivalent to USD2.8 billion).
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| Earlier, on the same morning, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang led a Government delegation to survey and work with the People's Committee of Can Tho City on the implementation of a number of ODA projects in the city. (Source: VGP New) |
During the 2021-2025 period, local projects in the Mekong Delta region were assigned VND15,174 billion. In 2023, localities were assigned VND2,884 billion in foreign capital from the central budget. In the first 6 months of the year, localities disbursed an average of 5.3%, much lower than the national average of 15.7%.
Delegates at the conference said that projects using ODA capital and foreign preferential loans are being implemented slowly due to difficulties and obstacles, mainly due to: institutions and laws regulating ODA capital and preferential loans have not been adjusted to keep up with reality; the readiness of projects is still low; difficulties in adjusting projects, adjusting investment policies and adjusting loan agreements; difficulties in arranging re-borrowed capital plans; difficulties and obstacles in processes and procedures of Vietnam and donors...
Concluding this content, the Prime Minister said that ODA is one of the important capital sources for investment in socio-economic development. In recent times, along with programs and projects using ODA capital that have been implemented smoothly and effectively, there are still many programs and projects that are stuck and need to be cleared, including projects and programs in the Mekong Delta region, especially the management, operation, and organization of investment project implementation.
In order to prepare well and effectively for new projects, remove obstacles, promote disbursement of public investment capital and ODA capital of the Mekong Delta, correctly identify the situation, advantages, limitations, difficulties and challenges; considering that there is still a lot of room, the Prime Minister agreed to continue to expand and be more flexible in borrowing ODA capital for projects and agreed to allocate 90% of foreign loans for projects in the Mekong Delta.
The Prime Minister requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region to resolutely direct relevant departments and branches to urgently review and complete the Project Proposal dossier according to regulations; develop a plan and closely monitor the progress of the plan; review and assign project implementation tasks to the Management Board and investors with capacity and experience and coordinate with ministries, branches and sponsors to implement the project immediately after completing investment procedures.
The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies and localities to continue mobilizing non-refundable aid sources; review and discuss with development partners to simplify and harmonize processes and procedures according to donor requirements and Vietnamese law.
The Prime Minister believes that with the determination and drastic participation of the entire political system, all levels and sectors, the strategic infrastructure of the Mekong Delta region will have strong and breakthrough developments, creating conditions for the Mekong Delta region to become a region with a fairly developed level compared to the whole country, with an advanced level of social organization; people's income is increasing day by day; people are increasingly prosperous and happy.
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