The most read Vietnamese newspaper
Edition: International | Vietnamese
© Copyright 1997 VnExpress.net. All rights reserved.
At an online meeting with the southern province's authorities Wednesday, Phuc noted that despite the government allocating over VND17 trillion to the province for construction of the Long Thanh Airport, only about VND1.8 trillion ($77.59 million), or 10 percent of the allocated amount, had been disbursed.
"The province must pledge to make efforts to disburse this capital within this year," he stressed.
The PM also found the airport project's site clearance work lagging behind schedule, and instructed Dong Nai to speed up this task so that the project could be implemented on schedule and meet the 2025 deadline.
"The province must perform well the tasks of determining the compensation level, establishing resettlement areas, especially building social infrastructure. The basic construction and investment procedures need to be deployed soon," he noted.
All relevant ministries and sectors were also asked to assist Dong Nai in speeding up progress, completing capital disbursement and ensuring the project’s standards and quality.
Under a National Assembly resolution, the compensation payment and construction of a resettlement area for those relocated by Long Thanh Airport's construction were split into a separate project managed by the Dong Nai People's Committee. The government has approved a budget of nearly VND23 trillion ($991.37 million) for this project.
The province has cleared 1,810 hectares (4,470 acres) of land for the first phase of the Long Thanh Airport, as well as finished tallying 1,028 households affected by the project. Site clearance compensation is also expected to be completed by the second quarter of the year.
The Long Thanh International Airport is expected to begin operations with a capacity of 25 million passengers a year at the end of the first phase, and this is envisaged to reach 85 million by 2020, according to the Ministry of Transport.
The airport is to be built in three phases over three decades. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2025, and the next two in 2030-2035 and 2040-2050, respectively.
The new airport is expected to take overflow from the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, which is currently operating at far above its designed capacity.
