That was the direction of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 7th meeting of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector, including the North-South expressway project through Ha Tinh.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs the 7th meeting of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works in the transport sector. Photo: VGP.

After the 6th meeting of the Steering Committee held on July 13, ministries, branches and localities have proactively coordinated and made efforts to implement assigned tasks; focused on overcoming difficulties, especially in compensation, support, resettlement, and the provision of common construction material mines, speeding up investment preparation and project implementation.

The situation has many positive changes, many obstacles have been resolved. Localities have actively and resolutely implemented site clearance work, basically meeting the required progress.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Linh operates the Ha Tinh bridge point.

For example, the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period has been handed over 89% (up 2% compared to the previous month), the rate of land available for construction is 80% (up 3% compared to the previous month); the construction of resettlement areas and relocation of technical infrastructure, especially high-voltage power lines, is continuing.

For the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2017-2020 period, the Ministry of Transport regularly inspects the site, urges and directs investors and contractors to organize construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams", overcome all difficulties, and speed up the construction progress to complete 4 expressway projects by the end of 2023.

Delegates attending the Ha Tinh bridge point.

Despite many positive results, currently, important national and key projects in the transport sector still face some difficulties such as site clearance for the remaining area, slow implementation of infrastructure construction in resettlement areas and relocation of technical infrastructure, especially high-voltage power lines; construction materials have not met the requirements for project construction.

The conversion of forest use purposes of the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period has not been implemented by localities; the cost of site clearance at the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau project has increased, leading to an excess of the total investment of the project, affecting the implementation progress...

The Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway section of the North - South Eastern expressway project phase 2017 - 2020, through Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh) is under construction.

At the conference, representatives of ministries, sectors, localities, investors and contractors informed about the implementation of site clearance work, sources of road filling materials, project management, contractor capacity, consultants, disbursement procedures, and project construction conditions. At the same time, they proposed solutions to speed up the progress of key projects in the transport sector.

The contractor mobilized maximum human resources and machinery to construct the North-South Eastern Expressway project, phase 2021 - 2025, through Ha Tinh.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gives a directive speech. Photo: VGP.

Concluding the working session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged the efforts of ministries, branches and localities in proactively coordinating and making efforts to implement assigned tasks; focusing on overcoming difficulties, especially in compensation, support, resettlement, provision of construction material mines, speeding up investment preparation and project implementation.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the three strategic breakthroughs are being carried out in the right direction, and we must "take advantage of the victory" to continue implementing them, in the context of the requirement to quickly have connecting infrastructure for development. This is an important historical moment, and we need to strive so that by the end of the 13th Party Congress term, we will complete the expressway system from North to South, from East to West and connect regions across the country, creating new development space, new urban areas, service areas, industrial parks, creating jobs and livelihoods for the people.

The Prime Minister requested the members of the Steering Committee, provinces and centrally-run cities to carry out their assigned tasks with a spirit of speed, even faster for the development as required by the 13th National Party Congress, meeting the people's demands. Investors, contractors and consultants must uphold their sense of responsibility at this time to speed up the progress of project implementation.

The working group of the Ministry of Transport, led by Deputy Minister Le Dinh Tho, inspected and resolved difficulties and problems related to the exploitation and supply of common construction materials for the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period, through Ha Tinh, on July 3.

Localities must thoroughly resolve site clearance work according to the progress milestones required by the Government; focusing on building resettlement areas and stabilizing people's lives; urgently implementing procedures for common construction material mines for the North-South expressway project in the 2021-2025 period in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; and have sanctions to handle cases of intentional price increases, "price squeezes", and land speculation in the mine area.

The Ministry of Transport needs to direct contractors to coordinate with localities to soon complete procedures to be able to exploit 27 mines whose registrations have been confirmed in August 2023 and 27 mines that have been submitted in September 2023.

Strengthen inspection and urge investors to direct contractors to concentrate resources and organize construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams" to ensure the completion of 4 component projects in 2023 and 2 component projects in 2024 of the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2017-2020 period as required by the Prime Minister; direct investors to implement projects to ensure the completion of the disbursement target of allocated capital.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development urgently provides more specific instructions for localities to pay money into the fund for localities that no longer have replacement forest areas or have insufficient remaining areas for replacement forest planting, ensuring a shortened time for changing forest use purposes, to be completed in August 2023.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall promptly draft a Government report to report to the National Assembly on the results of the conversion of forest use purposes and land use purposes for the North-South Eastern Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period; promptly advise the Government to allow the provinces (Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa) to increase the capacity of licensed sand mines that are in operation and still have a valid exploitation period...

Van Duc