Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspects expressway projects in the Mekong Delta

On March 6, Mr. Tran Hong Ha - Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister - led a Government working group to inspect the progress of expressway projects in the Mekong Delta to remove difficulties in the supply of sand and stone materials for projects.

At the meeting, the representative of the Ministry of Construction said that the Mekong Delta area is implementing 8 key transport projects. In which, 2 projects Cao Lanh - Lo Te, Lo Te - Rach Soi only renovated and upgraded; The remaining 6 projects have a total demand for sand material to cover the foundation of about 65.55 million m3. Up to now, localities have licensed and eligible for mines with reserves of 54.1 million m3 (river sand, sea sand); carrying out procedures for licensing 20.5 million m3; The source has not been determined to grant projects according to the assigned target of 10.35 million m3.

At the meeting, leaders of relevant localities such as Tien Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, An Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Ben Tre reported to the Deputy Prime Minister on the progress of sand and stone supply for key transport projects in the Southern region. The common difficulties of localities are largely due to problems with procedures for granting mineral exploitation licenses, limited exploitation capacity of mines, some mines have reduced reserves, are temporarily suspended, contractors are slow to register...

Dong Thap province alone was assigned to supply 13.1 million m3 of sand for the projects: Can Tho - Ca Mau, Component Project 1 Cao Lanh - An Huu, My An - Cao Lanh. Currently, the province has granted a license, eligible for exploitation of 9.3/13.1 million m3 to supply Can Tho - Ca Mau projects, Component Project 1; Dong Thap province has also issued a confirmation to increase the exploitation reserves of the two mines of Thuong Thoi Tien and My Xuong.

However, the reality shows that the supply of sand exists some limitations. The highlight is that the contractor assigned to the mine has not fully evaluated the quality of the river sand in the sand mine which has been introduced, making the process of supplying the project facing many difficulties. On the other hand, the contractor has not complied with the design, delayed in fulfilling financial obligations ... "Particularly with My An - Cao Lanh project, there has not been construction contractors. Therefore, the province has no basis for carrying out sand mine to contractors," said Tran Tri Quang - Acting Chairman of Dong Thap People's Committee.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested the Project Management Board and mining contractors to be honest, accurately compile the sand reserves at the mines, and be responsible for reviewing material sources in the localities, thereby making recommendations to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on specific authority.

Contractors assigned to mines must comply with legal regulations, any contractors who violate, the locality must strictly handle and resolutely eliminate them. The Deputy Prime Minister especially noted that localities in the monitoring stage and implementation procedures must be strict and implement the committed contents, making the most of the special mechanisms for these projects.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that exploited resources must be used for approved works and projects. At the same time, it is recommended that localities work with the Vietnam Maritime and Waterway Administration (Ministry of Construction) to provide guidance on dredging seawater, ensuring the environment, security and safety; and request the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction to review the progress of capital coordination for project implementation before March 15.

Previously, the delegation conducted a field survey at the construction site of the Cao Lanh - An Huu Component Project 1, in Dong Thap province. This project is about 16 km long, with a preliminary total investment of VND 3,640 billion, with the People's Committee of Dong Thap province as the managing agency.

On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and leaders of ministries and leaders of Dong Thap province directly visited and presented gifts to the construction force and supervision of the construction of the Cao Lanh - An Huu Component Project 1.