Progress promoted to ensure fulfillment of public investment disbursement planning

Late August 24, Mr. Tran Van Nam, the member of Central Committee of CPV cum Secretary of Binh Duong Provincial Party Committe and Head of Provincial NA Delegation, chaired a working session with departments, sectors, districts, towns and cities of the province on the status of public investment in 2020. At the working session, proposals and measures have been made in a bid to promote the progess and ensure fulfillment of public investment disbursement planning for 2020.

Progess boosted to ensure planning fulfillment in 2020 in Binh Duong Province. In this photo: The major traffic routes belonging to the planned zone of Binh Duong Provincial General Hospital (1,500 beds) have been completed

Low-rate disbursement

The total planned public investment capital in 2020 (capital from the central budget and the local budget) of the province is assigned at VND .13,467 billion. As of August 14, the total disbursement value was VND 3,029.8 billion, reaching 22.5% of the plan. In the first 8 months of the year, the province will continue to pay for the transition project. It is expected that by the third quarter of 2020 bids shall be invited and a number of new projects: construction of North-South Road 3 (bid invitation for Q2-2020), the project to improve the water environment in South Binh Duong of Phase 2 (for the part using residual capital resources), the road from Tan Thanh to Tam Lap bridge at Tan Dinh commune of reinforced route of Bac Tan Uyen - Phu Giao - Bau Bang , Bach Dang 2 bridge over Dong Nai river, road and bridge connecting Binh Duong and Tay Ninh shall be started.

Reporting to the Standing Committee of Binh Duong Provincial Party Committee, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truc, Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, said: “Although the Provincial People's Committee regularly directs public investment, most projects are in the bidding stage or construction drawing and/or designing and cost estimating stages. The focus was on the volume of transitional projects, so the 8-month public investment disbursement rate of the province is low compared to the national average and over the same period.”

Truc added that difficulties have been faced in the process of public investment implementation. The public mobilization for agreements with decisions and clearance prices to enable public investment projects have been complicated and prolonged for two or up to three years and even five years in some cases before the cleared sites are handed over. Some other major projects related various localities of Ho Chi Minh city, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh have eyed delayed progress. Besides, the Covid-19 pandemic has generally affected the implementation and progress of the projects.

In addition to the objective causes regarding the procedures and the overlap in the regulations of the Public Investment Law and the Construction Law, the subjective causes have also and significantly affected the implementation of the project, namely: the coordination of the investor and the district land fund development centers, in some places, has not been tight and timely in terms of compensation and site clearance. Most investors have not actively developed their suitable implementation plans in accordance with the approved project timeline; thereby, the need to use the capital has not been determined closely to the implementation progress and the actual disbursement competence, causing difficulties in the administration of the province's general capital planning.

Various proposals and measures made

At the working session, representatives of local departments, sectors and localities proposed and recommended a number of solutions to overcome difficulties and resolve problems in order to speed up the progress and ensure the completion of the public investment plan in 2020. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Chairman of Thuan An City People's Committee, said: “It is difficult for more than 90% of projects in Thuan An City to be carried out in terms of compensation and clearance. After Thuan An was promoted to the city status, the fluctuation of land price has become one of the reasons complicating the compensation. From now to the end of 2020, promotion of the clearance, compensation and disbursement of public investment capital shall be focused on in Thuan An City. Thuan An City commits with the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, from now to the end of the year, to disburse 100% of the capital as planned.”

At the meeting, Mr. Vo Hoang Ngan, Director of Binh Duong Department of Construction also clarified a number of recommendations related to the progress of processing records. At the same time, investors are requested to ensure the volume and quality of the project. Mr. Nguyen Chi Duc, Director of Binh Duong Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board, said as of August 21, the total disbursed capital reached 15.7% of the plan, accounting for 22% of the total disbursed capital of the province. Some project progress has not met the planned needs due to time consuming process of site clearance.In order to speed up the progress of public investment in the province, Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee requested to strengthen the responsibility of the head of the investor unit, local authorities, and land fund development centers. For the work of compensation and site clearance, coercive measures should be resolutely taken against any deliberate delays or failure to comply with the laws. In addition, investors should prepare the implementation progress plans that are attached to the disbursement plan of each project before reporting to Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, Binh Duong Department of Planning and Investment, relevant departments, and agencies for coordination, declaration and promptly solutions to the difficulties and problems in the implementation process. The concurrent implementation of the two tasks, focusing on disbursing capital for the 2020 plan and building the public investment plan for 2021 and the medium-term plan of 2021-2025 shall be ensured. Meantime, the information dissemination and mobilization of locals to understand the orientation, goals and policies of the province's socio-economic development associated with the needs of infrastructure investment shall be carried out to create the consensus of the people in compensation and site clearance.

Reported by Phuong Le – Translated by Vi Bao