Many new points in the draft Law
On the morning of March 10, continuing the 43rd session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Danh Huy presented the draft Law on Railway (amended).
According to Mr. Huy, the draft Law has removed detailed, technical contents, new issues that are in the process of mobilization, regular and unstable implementation to assign the Government, Ministers, and localities to regulate according to their authority to ensure flexibility, timely amendments and supplements when necessary to suit the practical situation.
At the same time, remove some inappropriate terms and some prohibited acts to suit reality, ensuring consistency and unity in the legal system. The draft Law also omits the regulation on 20% of administrative procedures and 33% of business conditions compared to the current Railway Law to meet the requirements of simplification, reduction of administrative procedures and business conditions.
Presenting the report on the Preliminary Inspection of the draft Law on Railway (amended), Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy agreed with the necessity of comprehensively amending the Law on Railway. However, it is recommended to continue reviewing and comparing the provisions of the draft Law with relevant laws to ensure the consistency and unity of the legal system.
Regarding the name and scope of regulation (Article 1), the Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment (KHCNMT) emphasized that the Standing Committee of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment basically agreed with the name of the draft Law and the content on the scope of regulation and subjects of application. However, it is recommended to clarify the scope of regulation of the draft Law for urban railways, high-speed railways and specialized railways; railway business, exploitation of land funds in areas near railway stations.
Emphasizing the layout of the draft Law, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said that there are opinions suggesting that the structure of the chapters and sections of the draft Law should be arranged reasonably, avoiding overlap and dispersation.
"Some opinions propose to collect regulations on land, finance, science and technology, security and order in a separate section, with separate chapters and sections on high-speed railways and urban railways, instead of scattering them in articles," Mr. Huy pointed out.
Thong Nhat Ship Floor remains unchanged for 50 years
Giving his opinion in the discussion, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man pointed out the reality in Vietnam today, mainly focusing on developing road traffic, while air, waterway, and rail transport have not received much attention.
For example, Mr. Tran Thanh Man mentioned the Thong Nhat train on the North-South route that has been operating for nearly 50 years, however, there has been almost no change.
"Regarding speed, transportation, structure, escalator rooms, vehicle conditions are still the same as 50 years ago. Currently, there is the Cat Linh - Ha Dong railway line in Hanoi, and in Ho Chi Minh City, there is the Metro line that has just been inaugurated. But it must be said that we are doing it very slowly, Mr. Man emphasized.
Recently, the National Assembly passed a resolution on investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis with a length of more than 1,000 km and is establishing a steering committee to direct and implement. The Government has also just approved a proposal to develop a Resolution on piloting a specific mechanism for urban railway development in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to submit to the National Assembly. Therefore, Mr. Tran Thanh Man suggested that localities implement in the coming time, how to focus on strong policies, development development is on the rise.
Regarding the Railway Law (amended), according to Mr. Tran Thanh Man, there is no need to be long lines, many pages, and make it concise to break through.
"The old law cannot be implemented, this time it will be amended to make a breakthrough, the country will develop and make a breakthrough. The development of high-speed railways and urban railways needs to be regulated in a separate chapter, with a mechanism of priority on resources, technology, in-depth human resource training, and learning from international experience, said Mr. Man, at the same time setting the goal of applying digital technology and artificial intelligence in railway management and operation, encouraging businesses to cooperate with research institutes and universities to improve domestic capacity.
