Prime Minister: Efforts to achieve '6 improvements' in the implementation of key transportation projects.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: Implementing key transport projects is of great significance, first and foremost in achieving the goals set forth in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress, bringing joy to the people; promoting economic growth, and opening up new development opportunities for localities with projects and the whole country. - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation, connecting the Government Headquarters with 46 provinces and centrally-administered cities that have nationally important projects, key transportation projects, and construction material quarries.

Attending the meeting were: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang; Minister and Head of the Government Office Tran Van Son; Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, leaders of ministries and agencies, chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities, representatives of project management boards, state-owned economic groups, investors, consulting units, and construction contractors.

Achieved many positive results

The report from the Ministry of Transport and the opinions expressed at the meeting showed that, in the past period, local authorities at all levels have made efforts to implement land clearance and infrastructure relocation; accelerate the progress of resolving procedures in investment preparation; direct contractors to overcome difficulties and obstacles, take advantage of favorable weather conditions to accelerate the construction of projects under their management; and promptly resolve mining license procedures for contractors according to special mechanisms.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has instructed localities and construction contractors to implement a special mechanism for exploiting mineral mines for common construction materials according to Resolution No. 106/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly; and guided procedures for using the surplus land of the Long Thanh airport project for the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project.

The Ministry is also finalizing the dossier based on the opinions of Government members to authorize the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government, to sign the Government's submission requesting the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to consider and adjust Resolution No. 273/NQ-UBTVQH15 on the policy of changing the purpose of use of forests, forest land and land for two or more rice crops of the North-South East Expressway construction project in the 2021-2025 period (Resolution No. 273).

The Ministry of Construction, in coordination with the Ministry of Transport, has established a working group to review and improve the system of norms as directed by the Prime Minister in Official Dispatch No. 02/CĐ-TTg dated January 9, 2024.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has advised the Prime Minister to issue a decision on decentralization and assignment of investment management agencies for expressway projects; has appraised the feasibility study report for the Dau Giay-Tan Phu, Tan Phu-Bao Loc projects and the pre-feasibility study report for the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai project; is coordinating with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to complete the appraisal of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai project in March 2024; and has given opinions on the dossier for adjusting the investment policy for the Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao urban railway project.

The Ministry of Finance has submitted to the Prime Minister proposals to amend the ADB loan agreement for the Nhon-Hanoi Station urban railway project; and guidance on the allocation and approval of budget estimates for the projects.

The State Capital Management Committee at enterprises has directed Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) to expedite the relocation of high-voltage power lines.

The Ministry of Transport has submitted to the Prime Minister a proposal to establish a working group to assist the Steering Committee in directing the progress of urban railway projects in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; has announced and reported on the results of the pilot project using sea sand as a roadbed for automobiles and expressways to serve as a basis for implementation by localities; is finalizing the national technical standards for expressways for issuance in March 2024; is coordinating with the Ministry of Construction to review the system of norms; and has commenced construction on the Ho Chi Minh Highway project, sections Rach Soi-Ben Nhat and Go Quao-Vinh Thuan.

The Prime Minister emphasized that ministries, localities, and relevant entities should strive to implement the "six improvements" in the deployment of key transport projects - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The effort is to 'only talk about doing, not about going backward'.

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that, following the 9th meeting of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects and Transport Sector Projects on February 16, 2024, ministries, sectors, localities, investors, consulting and construction contractors, and the people in the project areas have proactively and effectively coordinated the implementation of the proposed solutions and tasks with the spirit of "only discussing how to do it, not discussing how to retreat"; investors, contractors, and workers continue to strive to organize construction with determination to "overcome the sun and rain," "eat quickly and sleep urgently," work in "3 shifts and 4 teams," and "work throughout holidays and Tet" to accelerate the construction progress, achieving very encouraging results with the spirit of jointly building a modern and synchronous transport infrastructure system.

Local authorities at all levels, under the leadership of the provincial Party secretaries, have made efforts to implement land clearance and infrastructure relocation; accelerate the progress of resolving procedures in investment preparation; direct contractors to overcome difficulties and obstacles, take advantage of favorable weather conditions to accelerate the construction of projects under their management; and promptly resolve mining license procedures for contractors according to special mechanisms.

Ministries, sectors, and state management agencies have promptly guided and supported localities, investors, and contractors in the process of implementing tasks assigned by the Prime Minister. In particular, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has completed the appraisal of investment projects, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has completed the preparation of a submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to amend Resolution No. 273 on the policy of changing the land use purpose of forests, forest land, and land used for two or more rice crops for the North-South East Expressway construction project in the 2021-2025 period…

The projects are basically on schedule, with the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet and Dien Chau-Bai Vot projects striving for completion by April 30, 2024; the Long Thanh airport project and the passenger terminal at Tan Son Nhat airport project continue to be accelerated thanks to ACV's efforts.

"Implementing key transport projects is of great significance, first and foremost in achieving the goals set forth in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress. It brings joy and excitement to the people, contributes to the disbursement of public investment capital, promotes economic growth in the current context, and opens up new development opportunities for localities with projects and the entire country along the North-South and East-West axes," the Prime Minister said.

He also cited the example of the Dien Bien Phu airport expansion project, which is very significant on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, fulfilling the very legitimate aspirations of the people and those who sacrificed their lives and blood for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and the people.

The Prime Minister emphasized: "Local leaders must be close to the situation, decisive, and empathetic towards the people in order to successfully carry out land clearance work." - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The workload in 2024 is enormous.

The workload for implementation in 2024 is enormous, demanding, and time-constrained. Ministries, sectors, localities, investors, and contractors need to be more proactive and decisive, focusing on resolving difficulties and obstacles, and demonstrating a spirit of serving the country and its people in their actions.

The Prime Minister emphasized that ministries, localities, and relevant entities must strive to achieve six more points: Greater emphasis on responsibility in performing official duties; faster and more timely construction progress; better quality of projects and works; higher and more appropriate technical, aesthetic, and technological standards; localities must handle issues related to land clearance, materials, logistics, and technical infrastructure for projects more quickly and efficiently; and better environmental management, livelihood stabilization, and social security for people affected by projects.

Regarding specific tasks in the coming period, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport to direct investors to instruct contractors to coordinate with localities to promptly complete procedures to ensure sufficient reserves and capacity to exploit the mines under the North-South Expressway Eastern section project in the 2021-2025 period, meeting the required progress.

Directing project enterprises and contractors to focus on completing procedures and implementing "3 shifts, 4 teams" construction to ensure the completion of the two component projects, the Dien Chau-Bai Vot section (section meeting technical requirements) and the Cam Lam-Vinh Hao section, as directed by the Prime Minister, before April 30, 2024.

Urge contractors to complete work to exploit construction material mines, take advantage of favorable weather conditions, and accelerate construction of component projects of the North-South Expressway in the 2021-2025 period, including the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau projects.

The Ministry of Transport, in coordination with other ministries and the People's Committee of Dong Nai province, is preparing a report for the National Assembly regarding the resettlement of households affected by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway and the T1 and T2 traffic routes into the Loc An-Binh Son resettlement area under the Long Thanh International Airport Project.

The Ministry of Transport, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Construction, based on the results of the pilot project using sea sand as roadbed material, should promptly conclude on the relevant issues as directed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in Notice No. 88/TB-VPCP dated March 22, 2023, and based on that, develop standards and norms for large-scale implementation.

Directing investors and contractors to learn from past experiences in organizing construction in areas with weak soil (due to the loading time for consolidation settlement, affecting the overall completion progress of the entire project), accordingly, prioritizing construction and treatment in areas with weak soil to ensure sufficient loading time.

The presiding authority, in coordination with local authorities, is urgently implementing the Prime Minister's directive in Official Dispatch No. 769/CĐ-TTg dated August 26, 2023, on reviewing the arrangement of interchanges connecting expressways with the transportation network to maximize investment efficiency, expand development space, and promote socio-economic development in regions and localities.

Urgently conduct a comprehensive study on transportation connectivity between Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Long Thanh International Airport, including investment in connecting railways (elevated or underground), as directed by the Prime Minister in Notice No. 70/TB-VPCP dated February 28, 2024.

Urgently implement the construction of an information system and digitize data to monitor the progress and results of the implementation of key projects and works in the transportation sector.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is urgently and proactively implementing the opinions of the Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government and authorized by the Prime Minister, to submit to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, coordinating with the National Assembly's agencies during the review process so that the Standing Committee of the National Assembly can consider adjusting Resolution No. 273 at the April 2024 session. This is a prerequisite for completing the North-South Expressway Project (Eastern section) in the 2021-2025 period on schedule as required by the Government and the National Assembly.

Urgently implement the Prime Minister's directive in Notice No. 72/TB-VPCP dated February 28, 2028, and take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Transport and relevant localities to review the sand supply capacity in the Mekong Delta region to allocate and ensure sufficient supply and capacity in line with the progress of projects in the Southern region.

The Ministry of Construction is urgently providing guidance on methods for determining material prices at quarries so that localities can publish prices as a basis for investors to approve; promptly reviewing, adjusting, and supplementing existing norms that are inappropriate or incomplete; and guiding ministries and localities to issue specific specialized norms.

The Ministry of Finance proactively coordinates and guides the managing agencies and investors to complete the procedures related to ODA loans for urban railway projects and the Ben Luc-Long Thanh and My An-Cao Lanh expressways.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) are urgently establishing working groups to visit localities to directly work with, guide, and resolve issues, helping localities expedite procedures related to relocating high-voltage power lines to meet the construction progress of projects as directed by the Prime Minister in Notice No. 72; to be completed before April 15, 2024. They are also directing relevant units to continue accelerating procedures related to relocating high-voltage power lines to meet the construction progress of projects.

The State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises directed the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and the Vietnam Expressway Investment and Development Corporation (VEC) to strictly control the quality and progress of airport projects and the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway Project; and directed the Vietnam Rubber Industry Group to promptly hand over the land at the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau project.

We must listen to and empathize with the people during land clearance.

Local authorities have identified land clearance as a key task, mobilizing the entire political system to definitively resolve land clearance issues for the North-South Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period (especially in the provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Kien Giang, and Phu Yen); the three East-West expressway projects and two ring road projects in the second quarter of 2024; coordinating with investors to determine the priority level for handing over land for critical sections of the route. They are also accelerating the construction of resettlement areas to stabilize the lives of residents (in Dong Nai and Quang Tri provinces, etc.); and coordinating with EVN and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to relocate high-voltage power lines, prioritizing locations that affect construction.

"Local leaders must be close to the situation, decisive, and empathetic to the people in order to successfully carry out land clearance work. Many localities have done very well, but some have not. There's no need to be hesitant; we must go down to the grassroots, listen to the people's opinions, understand their desires and suggestions, and put ourselves in their shoes. Even for just one household, we must go down; if we don't go down, who will?" the Prime Minister emphasized.

Dong Nai province is increasing its workforce to accelerate the progress of land clearance for the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, Tan Van-Nhon Trach, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, and Long Thanh Airport connecting road projects; and is closely coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to expedite the approval of adjustments to the Long Thanh Airport land clearance project.

Regarding materials, based on the results of the pilot project using sea sand as roadbed material, localities are directing investors to proactively research and expand the project to suitable areas. Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces continue to direct relevant agencies to coordinate with investors to assign sea sand mines to contractors to carry out exploitation procedures according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The provinces of An Giang, Vinh Long, and Dong Thap allow contractors to maximize the operating capacity of equipment and vehicles and the daily operating time to ensure production output. Based on the actual exploitation situation of the mines already licensed to the project, and evaluating the content of the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), they will develop plans to increase the mining capacity of the mines (if conditions permit); review existing mines and new mining areas (especially in An Giang and Vinh Long provinces), prioritizing mines with renewed licenses and increased capacity to supply the project, and assign additional new mines to contractors to carry out mining procedures so that by June 30, 2024, they can supply the construction site with the quantity of sand assigned by the Prime Minister.

Provinces with sufficient sand resources for embankment construction (such as Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and Ben Tre provinces) should support investors and contractors in accessing and surveying sand mines within their respective provinces.

Local authorities have identified land clearance as a key task, mobilizing the entire political system to definitively resolve land clearance issues for the project - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Regarding investment procedures and project implementation, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Phuoc province will coordinate with relevant parties to expedite the approval of the pre-feasibility study report for the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai, Gia Nghia-Chon Thanh Project.

The provinces of Son La, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, Lam Dong, and Binh Duong are reviewing investment procedures and accelerating the progress of preparing, appraising, and approving feasibility study reports for the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau, Ninh Binh-Hai Phong, Tan Phu-Bao Loc, Bao Loc-Lien Khuong, and Ho Chi Minh City-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh projects.

Lang Son, Hoa Binh, and Tien Giang provinces are accelerating the progress of preparing technical designs and selecting contractors and investors for the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang, Hoa Binh-Moc Chau, and Cao Lanh-An Huu projects to ensure early commencement of construction.

Hanoi City is accelerating the process of selecting investors for component 3 of the Hanoi Ring Road 4 project; and is urgently completing the review of several aspects of funding for the Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao urban railway project to meet the conditions for approving the adjustment of the investment policy.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are focusing on directing investors and contractors, and coordinating closely with relevant agencies to expedite the completion of procedures to qualify for the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien and Nhon-Hanoi Station elevated sections of the urban railway projects, meeting the needs of the people of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Provinces and cities are urging contractors to mobilize sufficient human and material resources for construction, while closely monitoring progress and quality, and promptly resolving difficulties and obstacles to meet the set plan.

The Ministry of Public Security, the Government Inspectorate, and related agencies are implementing tasks to prevent and combat corruption and negative practices, and ensure security and order in the implementation of projects.

Ha Van
baochinhphu.vn

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