Review 54 BOT projects, negotiate toll reduction for each station

The leader of the Ministry of Transport affirmed that the review and negotiation of 54 BOT stations managed by the Ministry will be completed in October, but once negotiations are completed for any project, the fee will be reduced.

Speaking at the press conference of the third quarter of 2017 of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Nguyen Van Huyen - General Director of the General Department of Roads - said that he is reviewing to reduce prices and reduce the area of ​​influence of BOT stations. Up to now, the General Department has reached agreement with 10 projects and received approval from the Ministry of Transport, and will complete the negotiation process in October to report to the ministry.

However, any project that has completed negotiations will be reported to the ministry for consideration to reduce fees. So far, the Phap Van - Cau Gie project will reduce fees from October 15, while the Dai Yen station will reduce fees from November 1.

Dai Yen toll station, one of two projects that has finalized a fee reduction plan.

Negotiations to reduce tolls at stations on National Highway 5 are underway and the Ministry of Transport has also sent a dispatch requesting provinces to review toll reductions and reduce the impact of stations managed by localities.

Regarding this issue, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong stated that negotiating toll reduction is not a simple process because the BOT contract is a contract between a state agency and an investor but is related to credit institutions and localities, so it is not an administrative order, but must be negotiated. When exempting or reducing fees for people living around the station, the role of the locality must be played because only the locality can determine the people of that area, then determine the exemption or reduction.

Regarding the suggestions to reset or buy back toll stations, Mr. Nguyen Danh Huy - Head of PPP Board said that because of high public debt and unbalanced budget, BOT had to be done and because of budget difficulties, the option of buying back the station could not be considered.

Mr. Huy also said that from the audit results, the Ministry has basically finalized 26 projects and before 2017, the Ministry's view was to shorten the toll collection time, but now it will prioritize reducing fees without reducing the toll collection time.

According to Lao Dong Newspaper