Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: 2024 is the year to accelerate the construction of transportation infrastructure projects.

Emphasizing that 2024 is the year to accelerate the construction of key national transportation projects with a total investment of 422,000 billion VND, the Prime Minister requested relevant entities, based on their functions, duties, and powers, to proactively and actively implement and complete assigned tasks and existing commitments and agreements, "only discussing action, not retreating," resolving difficulties wherever they arise, and addressing obstacles at the appropriate level.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers concluding remarks at the 9th session of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects and Projects in the Transport Sector – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

On February 16th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects and Projects in the Transport Sector, chaired the 9th meeting of the Steering Committee.

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 and key transportation projects.

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; Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises Nguyen Hoang Anh; leaders of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and government 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.

The meeting focused on discussing and evaluating the situation, proposing solutions to ensure and shorten the timelines of construction projects, ensuring the quality, technical and aesthetic aspects of the projects, ensuring labor safety, hygiene, environmental landscape, and resolving any difficulties and obstacles that arise.

Prime Minister: If we can disburse 422,000 billion VND of investment capital for transportation infrastructure projects in 2024, it will contribute to boosting growth, creating jobs, and providing livelihoods for the people – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The majority of newly launched projects have met or exceeded their targets.

Reports and opinions at the meeting unanimously assessed that in 2023, the Prime Minister chaired 5 meetings of the Steering Committee and, together with the Deputy Prime Ministers, directly inspected the construction sites of projects; he directed and issued many directives, telegrams, and documents to resolve difficulties and obstacles, and urged ministries, sectors, and localities to implement tasks.

In the early days of 2024, the Prime Minister issued two directives instructing agencies and units to continue to demonstrate the highest level of responsibility, accelerate the implementation of transportation infrastructure projects and works, and focus on resolving difficulties and obstacles related to construction norms and unit prices; and the exploitation and supply of construction materials.

The Prime Minister emphasized that 2024 has been identified as the year to accelerate the implementation of key transportation projects – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

In 2023 and January 2024, ministries, sectors, and localities, especially the Ministry of Transport, actively coordinated and made efforts to implement and achieve many results in the implementation of projects.

Many long-standing difficulties and obstacles in several projects have been addressed, such as the Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway project (stalled for many years, with focused efforts to resolve issues related to funding and construction contract complications to restart the project and ensure it proceeds according to schedule), the Tan Son Nhat Airport Terminal 3 project (difficulties in land clearance), and the Long Thanh International Airport project (difficulties in contractor selection and land clearance).

Investment preparation for projects has been accelerated, and many projects have been started, such as the North-South Expressway (Eastern section, 2021-2025), three East-West axis projects, the ring roads of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang Expressway, the An Huu-Cao Lanh Expressway, and the Ho Chi Minh Highway section from Chon Thanh to Duc Hoa…

At the same time, many projects have completed the approval of investment policies and investment projects, such as the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau, Huu Nghi-Chi Lang, and Dau Giay-Lien Khuong expressways, to continue the contractor selection process and commence construction in 2024.

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 and key transportation projects – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Many expressway projects have overcome difficulties related to land clearance, construction materials, the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme weather conditions to be inaugurated and put into use, maximizing investment efficiency, such as: 7 component projects of the North-South expressway in the east with a length of 412 km, the My Thuan-Can Tho expressway with a length of 23 km, and the Tuyen Quang-Phu Tho expressway with a length of 40 km.

For newly launched projects, provinces have focused their efforts on organizing land clearance work, basically meeting construction schedules; investors and contractors have made efforts to organize construction to accelerate project progress, with most achieving or exceeding the set plan; disbursement results for projects have all reached high levels or exceeded requirements.

On the 3rd and 4th days of the recent Lunar New Year, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspected construction work that continued throughout the holiday and encouraged workers at five key projects in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai province. They also issued orders to resume cargo handling at Tan Cang-Cai Mep port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

At construction sites, thousands of workers and engineers continued to work diligently throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, sacrificing personal joys and temporarily setting aside family reunions during the spring season to work with a spirit of contributing to the country's development and completing transportation projects as soon as possible.

Delegates attending the session at the Government headquarters via video link – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Transforming the Party and State's policies into concrete products.

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that implementing national key projects and priority projects in the transportation sector is difficult, both in terms of scale, target groups, and scope, with a very large total investment of 422,000 billion VND in 2024.

The implementation of these projects has faced numerous difficulties and challenges, but under the leadership of the Party and with the strong consensus of the National Assembly, we have proposed solutions and fundamentally resolved legal obstacles; ministries, sectors, localities, project management boards, contractors, consulting units, officials, workers, and laborers on the project sites have made tremendous efforts; achieving positive and commendable results, creating a movement and trend for infrastructure development nationwide.

The Prime Minister thanked the people for their consensus, support, and endorsement of the Party and State's major policies, for giving up land and housing for projects, and for changing their habits, customs, occupations, and livelihoods for the development of the country.

Regarding the overall tasks for the coming period, the Prime Minister stated that, with their functions, duties, and powers, the Government, ministries, agencies, and localities must implement the correct and wise policies and guidelines of the Party and State on the three strategic breakthroughs, including the infrastructure breakthrough, into concrete products, achieving the set goals, and contributing to the rapid and sustainable development of the country.

The Prime Minister emphasized that if we can disburse 422,000 billion VND of investment capital for transportation infrastructure projects in 2024, it will contribute to boosting growth, creating jobs and livelihoods for the people, and creating new development opportunities for localities, regions, and the whole country.

If 2021-2022 was the project initiation, preparation, and approval phase, and 2023 saw simultaneous implementation, then 2024 is identified as the year for accelerating the execution of key transportation projects.

The Prime Minister requested that ministries, sectors, localities, members of the Steering Committee, project management boards, investors, contractors, consulting and supervisory units, officials, civil servants, and workers participating in the projects, based on their functions, duties, and powers, proactively and actively implement and complete assigned tasks and existing commitments and agreements, with the requirement to ensure progress, improve quality, ensure technical and aesthetic standards of the projects, and ensure safety, environmental hygiene, and a green, clean, and beautiful environment.

"Wherever there are difficulties, they must be addressed; whatever level the obstacles are at, that level must resolve them. When difficulties arise, we must inspect, supervise, sit down together to share, empathize, and find solutions, sparing no time for this work," the Prime Minister stated.

Relevant entities and individuals must proactively coordinate closely and effectively, resolve issues within their authority, focus on key priorities, and avoid shirking or passing on responsibility.

The Prime Minister noted that special attention should be paid to jobs, livelihoods, medical, educational and social infrastructure for people at resettlement sites of projects, and that new housing must be equal to or better than the old housing.

The Prime Minister emphasized that corruption and negative practices are strictly prohibited, and all work must be done with impartiality and transparency, for the common good; complex issues must not arise; inspection, investigation, and handling of violations related to hoarding and price gouging of raw materials for projects must be strengthened.

Regarding the recommendations at the meeting, the Prime Minister instructed the Government Office and the Ministry of Transport to compile and categorize them for relevant agencies to handle according to their authority. For issues already addressed in existing legal documents, the agencies should continue to issue clear guidelines for implementation, protecting those who dare to think, dare to act, and dare to take responsibility.

Regarding specific tasks, the Prime Minister instructed the Government Office and the Ministry of Transport to incorporate the opinions expressed at the meeting and promptly finalize the conclusions of the meeting for submission to the Prime Minister for issuance, so that ministries, agencies, and entities can implement them seriously, synchronously, and effectively.

Emphasizing the need for thoroughness, close monitoring of the situation, quick and timely response, focused and targeted work, and decisive action to avoid delays, the Prime Minister reiterated: “Most importantly, we must proactively and actively carry out our tasks according to our functions, duties, powers, and commitments to implement projects in the spirit of ‘only discussing action, not retreating,’ ‘overcoming the sun and rain,’ ‘eating quickly, sleeping urgently,’ working in ‘3 shifts and 4 teams,’ throughout holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).”

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-2024-la-nam-tang-toc-xay-dung-cac-cong-trinh-giao-thong-102240216123655116.htm

Source: https://baolangson.vn/chinh-tri/644560-thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-2024-la-nam-tang-toc-xay-dung-cac-cong-trinh-giao-thong.html