>> Golf ban for below par Transport Ministry performance

>> Minister slams Danang Airport redevelopment management

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang requested Project Management Unit No. 2 (PMU2) to get rid of five sub-contractors for slow progress of an expressway project.

Thang (third from left) inspecting the construction site (Photo: Ministry of Transport)

The Hanoi-Thai Nguyen expressway project, National Highway No.3, is considered very important to the development of the transportation system which will connect Hanoi with the northern provinces. The project has a total investment of of VND9.15 trillion (USD437.8 million),the majority of the funds coming from Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA), and the rest from matched funds from the Vietnamese state budget.

Construction on the 61.3-km project was started in November 2009, and was scheduled for completion by the the middle of 2013. But it remains behind schedule.

After an inspection on October 3, Thang realised that the project was nearly one year behind. He attributes this to a lack of cooperation between the investors, contractors and supervisors. At the same time, ministry authorities did not take strict enough measures to speed up progress.

The minister urged all involved organisations to make sure that construction be completed on time. Failing to do this, he said, contractors will be replaced.

Recently, Thang fired the head of Danang International Airport\'s terminal project because he failed to meet planned deadlines.

He has also been very active in checking bus routes in Hanoi, and recommended changes in office and school hours which would ease heavy traffic during rush hours.

Another measure taken by Thang has been to ban senior officials of the Transport Ministry from playing golf while they should be concentrating on key transportation projects.