Focus capital on key projects to ensure effective investment in infrastructure development.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of October 14th, following an inspection of several basic construction investment projects in Yen Thanh district, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council, led by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the People's Council, held a working session with local government leaders. Representatives from the Department of Planning and Investment, the Department of Finance, and the State Audit Office Region II also participated in the meeting.

Leaders of the Yen Thanh District People's Committee reported on the results of basic construction investment implementation in the years 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Statistics show that the total capital investment in basic construction in Yen Thanh district during the three years from 2012 to 2014 was 909.49 billion VND. The number of projects approved by the province according to the 2012-2014 plan was 166, in addition to 18 projects carried over from 2011 to 2012. Generally, all approved projects have completed land clearance and handed over the land to the contractors. However, construction progress remains slow, and some projects are being postponed due to outstanding capital investment debts. Currently, there are 173 projects in the district that have not been allocated sufficient funds (including projects using budget funds and other sources of capital).

Representatives from the departments and agencies participating in the monitoring team delivered speeches.

Questioning district leaders about basic construction investment projects.

Most notably, construction and upgrading projects have focused on transportation infrastructure and school building reinforcement. Due to the unique characteristics of Yen Thanh district, with its large area (450 km2), low-lying plains, and inherited transportation and irrigation infrastructure, most of the local transportation infrastructure is currently dilapidated or does not meet the needs of users. The most common problem is the fragmented allocation of funds, leading to slow construction progress and a lack of coordination; projects are phased or cut due to insufficient capital. For example, the upgrade project for Road 33, with a total investment of over 100 billion VND, only receives 2 billion VND in funding each year. Similarly, the Vien - Vinh - Khanh - Long - Nhan - Town Embankment project, despite its high efficiency, is experiencing slow construction progress due to budget cuts.

The school infrastructure improvement program in Yen Thanh district has approved 61 projects since 2008. Most projects have been completed, but some have not been finalized due to outstanding debts (only 60 billion VND out of a total of 80 billion VND has been allocated). Furthermore, some projects remain unfinished due to a lack of funding. Specifically, one project, Thinh Thanh Kindergarten, has not yet commenced construction; and four projects are likely to be halted due to a lack of allocated funds: Cong Thanh Secondary School, My Thanh Secondary School, Tien Thanh Primary School, and Long Thanh Kindergarten. Based on this situation, the district proposes that the People's Council prioritize allocating sufficient investment capital for key projects and those yet to be completed; support businesses in finalizing their accounts; and promptly implement guiding documents on investment and management of capital construction projects.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Son concluded the working session.

After listening to the opinions of the members of the supervisory delegation, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Son concluded: The district has made commendable efforts in implementing the capital construction investment plan according to the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council; promptly completing disbursement, closely monitoring and consciously resolving capital construction debts, organizing bidding and selecting contractors... In particular, the initiative of assigning responsibility for land clearance to local authorities where construction projects are located has achieved good results, which is a highlight in capital construction in Yen Thanh. However, the district needs to pay attention to establishing project management boards and focusing on completing the 2014 capital construction investment plan from now until the end of the year. Many unfinished construction projects, phased construction, adjustments to the total investment amount, etc., remain unresolved issues that the district needs to pay special attention to in order to achieve even better results in capital construction investment.

Thuc Anh