Asked twice about the quality of the 34,000 billion VND highway, the Ministry of Transport still "owes" an answer

Regarding the 34,000 billion VND expressway project (Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway) which has just been opened to traffic but is already broken, not long ago, Mr. Nguyen Tien Thanh, Director of the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway Project Management Board admitted that this project only achieved 6/10 points.

Responding to a reporter's question at the Government Press Conference in October 2018, about "Is the investment capital of more than 34,000 billion VND commensurate with the quality of the project?", Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said: "We believe that the determination of standards, techniques, as well as the inspection of project quality have been proven by technical regulations and experiments. A qualitative assessment has no basis for determination.

This issue, during the implementation process, according to the technical process, must have experiments from input materials, verifying each probability. Then, compare with design requirements. Therefore, we believe that the evaluation must be based on the basis of inspection, experimental results, and supervision during the construction process.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong.

Regarding the A5 package, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Transport discovered that Posco (the main contractor) transferred the bid to 18 other companies. And the suspicion is that: "This type of bidding behavior is very likely to lead to loss of capital and the quality of the project will not be guaranteed".

Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong continued to answer: “Regarding the 18 subcontractors, in the provisions of the contract on bidding, especially the FIDIC contract for ADB loans, there are provisions that the main contractor can have subcontractors. Subcontractors can be identified right in the bidding process of the main contractor, as well as the construction process of the project items and work that can be subcontracted. But the responsibility belongs to the main contractor.

How many contractors depend on the items, but the main contractor's responsibility cannot be shirked. During the construction process, until the completion of the project, the quality and warranty must still be ensured.

Regarding the responsibility of State management for the 34,000 billion VND expressway project (Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway), Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that during the process of arising defects and problems, the Ministry of Transport, as the agency in charge of investment, project approval and implementation monitoring, has resolutely directed the investor to promptly remedy the situation and review the responsibilities. Not only of the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) but also of consultants, supervisors of contractors, and the responsibilities of individuals.

Regarding the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway project, Mr. Dong said that the investor is VEC, and the investor's responsibility is clearly defined.

Minister and Head of the Government Office (VGO), Mai Tien Dung, said that the Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Transport to review, report, and officially announce the inspection results. On October 18, the Ministry of Transport announced the inspection of this route, and there is currently no new report.

National Assembly Delegate Pham Thi Thu Trang (Quang Ngai).

Previously, during the question and answer session with Government members on the morning of November 1, National Assembly Deputy Pham Thi Thu Trang (Quang Ngai) questioned the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway Project.

The project is expected to contribute to improving transport infrastructure, promoting regional connectivity to create economic momentum. By September 2, when the project was opened to traffic, it brought joy to the people of the provinces. However, voters were very upset about the slow resolution of land clearance issues, uncompleted access roads and residential roads, environmental pollution as well as a number of other issues.

"Voters are also very worried about the quality of the project. Therefore, the province has sent documents to the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC - PV) but has not received a response," Ms. Trang emphasized.

From here, delegate Trang asked questions about the Minister's responsibility and solutions to handle voters' concerns.

However, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The did not mention the quality of the 34,000 billion VND expressway project (Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway) and personal responsibility as requested by National Assembly member Pham Thi Thu Trang (Quang Ngai).

Regarding the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), Minister The said that VEC is under the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, an agency under the Government. Therefore, he pledged to coordinate with the Committee and local authorities, directing VEC to perform its responsibilities in the best way.