Prime Minister: 2024 is the year to accelerate the implementation of transport projects and works

The meeting was held in a direct and online format between the Government Headquarters and 46 provinces and centrally-run cities with important national and key projects in the transport sector.

Attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; members of the Steering Committee who are Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Government agencies; Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities; representatives of Project Management Boards, State economic groups, investors, consulting units, and construction contractors.

Currently, the country has 34 major projects, 86 important national component projects, key projects of the Transport sector in 46 provinces and centrally-run cities. Of these, there are 5 railway projects, 2 airport projects, the rest are road projects, mainly expressways and belt roads in the Hanoi Capital region, and belt roads in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2023, with the special attention of the Government and the Prime Minister, the implementation of important national and key projects in the transport sector was promoted. Many obstacles were resolved, especially legal ones; project preparation was accelerated; many expressway projects and belt roads in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were started; many projects were inaugurated and put into operation... bringing practical results.

Specifically, in 2023, 9 expressway component projects with a length of 475 km will be inaugurated, bringing the total number of expressway kilometers put into operation nationwide to 1,892 km; currently, 37 other projects/component projects with a total length of 1,658 km have been started and are under construction.

The whole country has also inaugurated the renovation and upgrading of Dien Bien and Phu Bai airports, the runways of Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports, and is promoting the construction of Long Thanh international airport, Tan Son Nhat T3 passenger terminal...

At the meeting, in addition to reviewing the results achieved, the Steering Committee discussed and analyzed the reasons for the slow progress of some projects. In particular, delegates said that the slow progress of the projects was partly due to some difficulties in site clearance, especially in land valuation and conversion of land use purposes; difficulties in common filling materials; difficulties in using ODA capital, etc.

After listening to the opinions and concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reviewed the results achieved in implementing important national projects and works, key to the transport sector. He emphasized that most legal difficulties have been resolved; promoting the implementation of projects.

On behalf of the Government and the Steering Committee, the Prime Minister commended the efforts of the Transport sector, engineers, workers and laborers in the Transport sector who put aside their own joys in the new spring to join hands to build the spring of the country and the nation, join hands to build a modern and synchronous transport infrastructure system.

The Prime Minister commended the investors, project management boards, contractors, and consulting units for their unanimity, determination, and efforts to ensure quality and timely implementation of projects over the past year; the Ministry of Transport, localities assigned as managing agencies, and the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises for their efforts in organizing and implementing projects, especially the Vietnam Airports Corporation for its remarkable changes and progress in implementing airport projects.

In particular, the Prime Minister thanked the localities for doing a good job in site clearance, coordinating with investors in providing material mines, and handling issues arising during construction; and sincerely thanked the people for their consensus, support, and endorsement of the major policies of the Party and State, giving up land and housing, and changing habits and customs for the development of the country.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister requested that investors pay attention and provide timely encouragement to workers and engineers working through Tet; localities pay attention to the lives of resettled people, ensuring that their new housing is equal to and better than their old housing.

Pointing out a number of lessons learned and existing problems and difficulties that need to be focused on overcoming, in the coming time, the Prime Minister requested that ministries, agencies and localities continue to promote the achieved results, make more efforts, proactively review and overcome existing limitations and difficulties in implementing tasks.

Recalling the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress on implementing three strategic breakthroughs, the Prime Minister emphasized that implementing strategic breakthroughs in infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, is of great significance, contributing to promoting growth; creating jobs and livelihoods for people; creating new development space for localities where projects pass through; therefore, it is necessary to focus on effective implementation.

The Prime Minister directed ministries, branches, localities, project management boards, investors, consultants, supervisors, contractors, officers, workers, laborers and related entities to seriously and proactively carry out assigned tasks according to requirements based on their functions and tasks: ensuring quality; progress; ensuring safety, technique, aesthetics, environment and ecology; not to unreasonably increase capital; not to divide bidding packages; to fight against negative corruption, group interests and waste at all stages; to promptly reward good performance and handle violations; and to take care of the lives and social security of workers and people.

Assigning specific tasks to ministries, branches and localities, especially in promoting project implementation; focusing on site clearance for projects and ensuring the supply of common construction materials for projects, the Prime Minister directed relevant entities to be proactive and coordinate with each other to resolve problems arising in practice within their authority, with a focus and key points, without avoiding or shirking responsibility, in the spirit of "where there are problems and difficulties, resolve them there; at which level, the problem or difficulty is resolved; whichever ministry or branch is responsible, the ministry or branch must resolve it".

The Prime Minister reminded that special attention must be paid to the livelihoods, jobs, educational infrastructure, healthcare, and social infrastructure of people who have given up their land for projects, with the spirit that the new place of residence must be at least equal to, and strive to be better than, the old place of residence; strictly prohibiting negativity, corruption, the emergence of complex problems, and coping strategies, especially in the provision of common filling materials.

The Prime Minister directed the members of the Steering Committee, ministries, branches, Project Management Boards, and Contractors to continue to uphold the spirit of patriotism and responsibility to make more efforts and determination, work in the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain", "eating quickly and sleeping quickly", working "3 shifts", working through holidays, Tet, Saturdays and Sundays to speed up the construction progress, striving to complete ahead of schedule for each construction item and the entire project.

In all cases of difficulties, problems, and obstacles, investors, contractors, and project participants need to be united, work together, "only discuss, not retreat", have the highest determination, be proactive and creative, dare to think and dare to do to overcome all challenges, and bring the project to the finish line.

The Prime Minister believes that with new momentum, joint efforts and acceleration, in 2024, members of the Steering Committee, ministries, branches, project management boards, contractors, designers and supervisors will successfully complete the task of investing in and building transport infrastructure, fulfilling the goals of the 13th National Party Congress, all for a strong and prosperous Vietnam, with increasingly happy and prosperous people.