On the morning of February 19, the National Assembly voted to approve the proposed investment plan of VND203,231 billion to build the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line.
459 delegates participated in the vote; of which 455 delegates approved (95.19%). There were 3 delegates who did not agree and 1 delegate who did not vote.
With the majority of opinions in agreement, the National Assembly officially approved the investment policy for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway construction investment project.
Reporting on the acceptance, adjustment and explanation of the investment policy for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway construction project, Secretary General of the National Assembly, Head of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Tung said that according to the Government report, the total preliminary investment is calculated according to the provisions of the law on construction.
The current announced investment of the countries is calculated for the construction and equipment part, not including the cost of land acquisition, compensation, support, resettlement and other costs of a special nature ( cost of Tan Vu - Lach Huyen bridge, cost of renovating the 1,000 mm section of Lao Cai station area, cost of the 1,000 mm road section passing through Hanoi unit).
Compared to the investment rate of the 418 km long Vientiane - Boten railway line with an investment cost of 5.96 billion USD, the conversion investment rate is 16.77 million USD/km. Accordingly, the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line with an investment rate of about 15.96 million USD/km is similar to the investment rate of some reference projects in the area.
Regarding the scope, scale of investment and preliminary design plan, the project route direction is studied by the Government according to the principle of being as short as possible, as straightforward as possible and has been agreed upon by the localities where the project passes through. Some sections of the route go along the same corridor as the expressway (Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Hai Phong), which are studied to meet technical requirements, have enough land to arrange stations, and minimize the area of land between railways and roads.
The preliminary design plan for the station site has arranged routes connecting to the local road network. However, in the process of implementing the next steps, it is recommended that the Government direct relevant agencies to review and update connection options synchronously with the related transportation system to ensure the effectiveness of the project.
To ensure project implementation progress, the Government has proposed many specific solutions and policies to speed up the implementation of this work such as: assigning localities to implement; appointing bids; Provincial People's Committees with projects to implement the construction of resettlement areas for projects based on preliminary design documents in the Pre-feasibility Study Report decided by the National Assembly on investment policy; allowing provinces and cities to advance local budget capital to carry out compensation, support and resettlement for projects...
"However, in the next steps, it is recommended that the Government direct relevant agencies to urgently determine the scope of land recovery to ensure the site for project implementation" - Mr. Tung said.
Regarding specific mechanisms and policies, especially project investment implementation, taking into account the opinions of parliamentary delegates, the draft Resolution has been revised as follows: "The People's Committees at the provincial level have a project to implement the construction of a resettlement area for the Project based on the preliminary design documents in the Pre-feasibility Study Report decided by the National Assembly on investment policy; temporary housing arrangement for people whose land is recovered, ensuring stable lives for the people".
Clause 15, Article 3 of the draft Resolution has been revised in the direction: In case the preparation, appraisal and approval of a project has content other than the relevant planning, the project shall be approved without having to carry out planning adjustment procedures. After the project is approved, the relevant plans must be promptly reviewed, adjusted, updated and announced.
In particular, the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed with many opinions of National Assembly deputies: In case this regulation is needed to protect cadres and civil servants who dare to think and dare to do. At the same time, it is recommended that the Government carefully study to have general regulations and report to competent authorities before submitting them to the National Assembly for consideration and decision. Therefore, it is recommended not to stipulate this content in the draft Resolution.
In addition, the specific comments were fully explained and accepted by the National Assembly Standing Committee in the Report. At the same time, the National Assembly Standing Committee has directed the reception of comments, review, improve and revise the technical documentation of the Resolution accordingly.
