Over 300km of provincial roads are in disrepair; the Director of the Department of Transport 'complains' about difficulties.
(Baonghean.vn) - At the questioning session on the afternoon of December 8th, the Director of the Department of Transport, Hoang Phu Hien, stated that surveys have revealed over 300km of provincial roads are deteriorating, but due to the province's limited funding, only a few urgent sections can be repaired each year.
On the afternoon of December 8th, continuing the program of the 11th session of the 18th Provincial People's Council, term 2021-2026, the provincial People's Council delegates conducted a question-and-answer session.
Attending the meeting were comrades: Nguyen Van Thong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. Also present were members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; the Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of provincial departments, agencies and districts, cities and towns.
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Overview of the question-and-answer session on the afternoon of December 8th. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
Besides questioning Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De and Director of the Department of Finance Trinh Thanh Hai on two issues: disaster prevention and mitigation; management and operation of irrigation and hydropower reservoirs during the rainy season; and the allocation of provincial counterpart funds for implementing programs, projects, and investment policies in ethnic minority areas..., the delegates also questioned many other issues of concern to voters.
Representative Vi Van Quy (from Quy Hop district) raised the issue that Provincial Road 532, connecting Chau Loc, Lien Hop, Chau Hong, and Chau Thanh communes in Quy Hop district, has seriously deteriorated. This issue has been raised by voters and representatives in many forums and has also received attention from the Provincial People's Committee. However, the attention given has been modest, if not negligible.
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Representative Vi Van Quy from Quy Hop district poses a question during the interpellation session. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
The total length of the road is 28.5km, but the Provincial People's Committee only allocates funds for maintenance and repair for 1 to 2km annually. Based on the road's length, it would take 14 years to reach the end. According to State regulations, localities with mineral exploitation activities need to allocate resources to support infrastructure development and social welfare. We request that the Provincial People's Committee pay attention to allocating investment funds for the construction and upgrading of this road.
Responding to Representative Quy's question, Mr. Hoang Phu Hien, Director of the Department of Transport, emphasized that this was entirely correct. Provincial Road 532 was previously a district road, upgraded to a provincial road in 2016. Even before the upgrade, the road was already in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, this road connects Chau Loc commune to Chau Thanh commune, an area with many quarries and a very high volume of vehicles transporting minerals, thus further impacting and deteriorating the road.
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Mr. Hoang Phu Hien - Director of the Department of Transport, answers questions during the interpellation session. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
Since taking over, the Transport sector has repaired more than 9km of roads, including one bridge and one culvert, with a total cost exceeding 9.4 billion VND. This is the budget for regular repairs, allocated within the transport sector's operational budget. Therefore, ensuring the repair of the entire 28km stretch is very challenging.
The Director of the Department of Transport added that the department currently manages over 40 provincial roads with a total length of more than 932km. According to the department's calculations based on surveys, over 300km of provincial roads are in serious disrepair. Therefore, the province faces difficulties in securing funding for regular repairs, so only a few urgent sections can be repaired each year.
According to Mr. Hoang Phu Hien, in 2021, the Department of Transport proposed to the Provincial People's Council to allocate an additional 60 billion VND under Resolution 28, so in 2022, the department included the repair of Provincial Road 532 in its plan. It is expected that in 2023, an additional 3km will be allocated for repairs. However, ensuring the repair of all roads will be very difficult. Therefore, the immediate solution is for the department to strengthen maintenance and repair work and install road signs to ensure convenient travel.
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Provincial Road 532 is in serious disrepair. (Photo: Archival image) |
For long-term solutions, the focus will be on reviewing major damaged areas, prioritizing the allocation of funds for repairs, and ensuring convenient travel for the people. At this meeting, the Department of Transport also requested the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, and other relevant departments to provide support to the Department of Transport and localities to secure funding for the repair and renovation of over 28km of Provincial Road 532.
Regarding this matter, Director of the Department of Finance Trinh Thanh Hai said that after the Department of Transport deems it necessary to include the investment in the public investment plan, the Department of Finance will advise the Provincial People's Committee to balance the funds within its capacity to support the upgrading and repair of the road.
Representative Lu Thi Khuyen (from Con Cuong district) raised the question: According to Resolution No. 33/2016 of the Provincial People's Council on the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2016-2020, the objective is to determine the structure of counterpart support for ODA projects, projects using national target program funds, and to put into use projects that are effective. However, the allocation of counterpart funds has not been ensured. I request the Provincial People's Committee to clarify the reasons and propose solutions for the future.
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Representative Lu Thi Khuyen from Con Cuong district poses a question during the interpellation session. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
Responding to a question from Representative Khuyen, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Xuan Duc stated that the principle of allocating capital for ODA projects before the Public Investment Law was enacted resulted in delays. However, after the Public Investment Law came into effect, ODA projects have ensured sufficient counterpart funding.
During the period 2021-2025, Nghe An province has 19 ODA projects, of which 9 have been completed (6 projects have undergone final settlement procedures and 3 projects are currently undergoing final settlement procedures). For the remaining projects, including 3 projects related to ethnic minority and mountainous areas (Nghe An Province Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Project, Land Management Project, and LRAM Project), sufficient counterpart funding and related requirements have been secured as stipulated.