Prime Minister chairs conference to promote transport infrastructure in Mekong Delta

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers the opening speech at the conference on removing difficulties and obstacles and promoting the development of transport infrastructure in the Mekong Delta region - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Attending the conference were Party Central Committee members: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, ministers, provincial and municipal party secretaries of localities in the Mekong Delta; leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province; businesses and contractors participating in transport infrastructure projects in the Mekong Delta.

In recent times, the Government and the Prime Minister have resolutely directed the implementation of transport infrastructure projects in the Mekong Delta. The Prime Minister has inspected and worked directly with local ministries and branches five times. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has inspected, held meetings and directed the resolution of problems many times.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the conference showed the Government's attention to developing strategic infrastructure for the whole country in general, and the Mekong Delta region in particular.

The Mekong Delta has many distinct potentials, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages, but there are bottlenecks and limitations, especially in infrastructure, including transport infrastructure.

Limitations in transport infrastructure increase logistics costs, input costs, reduce the competitiveness of goods, do not create new development space, limit economic restructuring, industrialization, modernization, application of science and technology and innovation in this area.

The Prime Minister recalled that most recently, 3 months ago, on July 12 and 13, 2024, he and leaders of ministries, branches and localities directly inspected and evaluated the site and organized a conference to remove difficulties and obstacles to promote transport infrastructure projects in the Mekong Delta region.

This conference continues to be held to evaluate the implementation of work, point out what has been done well, draw valuable experiences and good lessons to continue doing.

At the same time, identify difficulties and problems regarding materials, procedures, capital, site clearance, and field implementation of construction contractors and supervision consultants, thereby promptly resolving them, avoiding delays and prolongation.

The Prime Minister emphasized the spirit of high determination, great effort, drastic action, focus, key points, completing each task, resolving any problems at that stage, saying must be done, committing must be done, clarifying people, tasks, responsibilities, time, products, promoting project implementation, ensuring quality and progress.

The Prime Minister said that, implementing the requirements of the 10th Central Conference and the direction of key leaders, the Government is proposing to amend laws in the direction of local decisions, local actions, local responsibilities, eliminating the request-grant mechanism, cutting down and simplifying administrative procedures, including the implementation of major transport infrastructure projects.

The Prime Minister suggested that provinces and cities also need to support this spirit; ministries and branches should only focus on state management (such as developing plans, programs, laws, mechanisms, policies, planning; designing tools to check and monitor outputs...).

Emphasizing the need to promote the development of transport infrastructure in the Mekong Delta in the context of people's expectations and high development requirements, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport to clearly report on the implementation of projects; the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to clearly report on the situation of construction materials (stone, sand, gravel, etc.); the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to report on the situation of capital balance and allocation; localities lacking filling materials to report on whether there are still difficulties; localities with filling material sources (Vinh Long, Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, etc.) to clearly report on the supply for projects; management boards, contractors, and consultants to clearly report on whether there are any remaining problems and what solutions are needed...

The Prime Minister requested that, in addition to road projects, it is necessary to continue discussing tasks and solutions to implement airport and port projects for the Mekong Delta region.

In particular, the Prime Minister requested relevant ministries, branches, and Ca Mau province to make efforts to complete the Ca Mau airport project, allowing planes to take off and land by April 30, 2025.

"We cannot delay just because of procedural reasons, while people are waiting day and night, demanding that development must have an airport," the Prime Minister stated.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the conference showed the Government's interest in developing strategic infrastructure for the whole country in general, and the Mekong Delta region in particular - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

106,000 billion VND for 9 key projects in the Mekong Delta

According to the report of the Ministry of Transport, currently, the Mekong Delta region is implementing 9 important national transport projects, key to the transport sector, with a total investment capital of about 106,000 billion VND.

The projects include: The North-South Expressway Project, Eastern section, Can Tho-Ca Mau, including 2 sections, Can Tho-Hau Giang and Hau Giang-Ca Mau; (2) The Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang Expressway Project, including 4 component projects; (3) The Cao Lanh-An Huu Expressway Project, including 2 component projects; (4) The My An-Cao Lanh Expressway Project; (5) The Ho Chi Minh Road Project, Rach Soi-Ben Nhat, Go Quao-Vinh Thuan sections; (6) The Cao Lanh-Lo Te Project; (7) The Lo Te-Rach Soi Project; (8) The Rach Mieu 2 Bridge Project; (9) The Dai Ngai Bridge Project.

Of these, 8/9 projects are under construction. The My An-Cao Lanh Expressway Project (Korean ODA capital) with the Ministry of Transport as the managing agency is completing procedures and is expected to start construction in early 2025.

Of the total 8 projects being implemented, 6 projects are scheduled to be completed in 2025, including 4 expressway projects with a total length of 207 km under the emulation plan to complete 3,000 km and 2 bridge and road projects.

Of which, 4 expressway projects include: (i) 2 component projects of Can Tho-Hau Giang and Hau Giang-Ca Mau sections of the North-South expressway project in the East phase 2021-2025 according to the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party; (ii) Cao Lanh-Lo Te project; (iii) Lo Te-Rach Soi project; (iv) component project 1 Cao Lanh-An Huu is planned to be completed in 2027 but Dong Thap province registered to shorten the progress.

There are 2 remaining bridge and road projects: Ho Chi Minh Road Project, Rach Soi-Ben Nhat, Go Quao-Vinh Thuan section (Ho Chi Minh Road) according to Resolution No. 63/2022/QH15 dated June 16, 2022 of the National Assembly to connect Ho Chi Minh Road from Cao Bang to Ca Mau Cape and Rach Mieu 2 Bridge Project.

Meanwhile, the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang expressway project will basically complete the entire route in 2026 and be put into operation in 2027; the Cao Lanh-An Huu component project 2 (Tien Giang province) and the Dai Ngai bridge project (Project Management Board 85) will be completed in 2027.

Site clearance work at expressway projects under implementation has reached over 99%, basically meeting the construction schedule, but has not yet been completed as required by the Prime Minister (by September 2024). The Can Tho-Ca Mau project reached 99.9%; the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang project reached 99%; the Cao Lanh-An Huu project reached 98.5%; the Dai Ngai bridge project reached 99.5%. The Ho Chi Minh road project alone has not met construction requirements (the section through Kien Giang province reached 56%, through Bac Lieu province reached 82%); the Cao Lanh-Lo Te project still has problems with site clearance at the Lo Te intersection (through Can Tho).

Delegates attending the conference - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Ministry of Transport said that to ensure the completion of projects in accordance with the resolutions of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government and the direction of the Prime Minister, investors have developed detailed plans, focusing on directing contractors to mobilize maximum financial resources, human resources, equipment and resolutely organize construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams", "overcoming the sun, overcoming the rain" in the spirit of the Prime Minister's direction. To date, contractors have mobilized a total of 450 construction teams, 6,500 workers, 2,200 equipment suitable for construction conditions in the Mekong Delta region (the Can Tho-Ca Mau project alone has mobilized 183 construction teams, 971 equipment, 3,000 workers).

Capital allocated for basic projects meets construction progress. In particular, component project 1 of Cao Lanh-An Huu project needs an additional 250 billion VND, Dong Thap province is balancing local capital sources; Rach Mieu 2 bridge project needs an additional 1,192 billion VND to the medium-term capital source for the period 2021-2025, the Ministry of Transport has sent a document requesting the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to resolve.

The capital disbursement progress in 2024 of the projects basically meets the requirements (reaching from 75% - 98%), but component project 3 (Hau Giang) and component project 4 (Soc Trang) of the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang Project are still lower than the general level.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the most important issue at present is to ensure the source of materials (filling sand, crushed stone), at the same time the direction and management of investors as well as the efforts and determination of contractors in organizing the construction.

With the regular and drastic direction of the Prime Minister, localities have actively reviewed and identified river sand resources of 72.3 million m3/demand of 65 million m3. To ensure the supply of sand materials to meet the progress of projects, based on the sand reserves of localities in the region, the implementation plan and sand demand of each project, the Prime Minister has assigned specific targets to localities with sand resources and directed the completion of procedures to exploit mines by the end of August 2024.

Localities have made efforts to implement procedures for granting material mines; however, due to the lengthy time required to complete the procedures and the limited mining capacity of the mines, construction requirements have not been met.

The Government Electronic Information Portal will continue to update information about the conference.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/thu-tuong-chu-tri-hoi-nghi-thuc-day-ha-tang-giao-thong-dbscl-381651.html