Ha Noi outlines 2014 plans
Workers at the construction site of Noi Bai International Airport's T2 Station, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Infrastructure development has been identified as a central tenet for boosting Ha Noi's growth. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung |
HA NOI ()— Applying stronger mechanisms to engage the private sector in infrastructure development, agriculture and sci-tech development has been identified as a central tenet for boosting growth in Ha Noi next year.
Ha Noi targets comprehensive growth in line with a stable economy, improved investment efficiency, better living standards and social welfare as well as ameliorated environmental protection.
The capital city's objectives for 2014 were disclosed by the city's leaders at a meeting with Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh on Thursday.
Specifically, the plan targets a GDP growth of 8.5-9 per cent next year, a 10 per cent increase in export value and a 0.8 per cent reduction in the number of poor households.
Under the plan, Ha Noi will continue taking measures to attract foreign direct investment, curb inflation, stabilise the economy, ensure social welfare, simplify administrative procedures and boost the IT application.
However, director of the city's Planning and Investment Department Ngo Van Quy said the city could struggle to fund major initiatives including the urban railway project and others related to the environment and waterway transport.
"The city asked the ministry for an allocation of VND8.8 trillion (US$ 417.1 million) next year to speed up the project," Quy said.
Ha Noi also expected the Government and relevant agencies to soon detail plans and road maps for the transfer of central universities, hospitals and production establishments to the city's outskirts to reduce traffic jams and pollution.
Moreover, enterprises in the city raised concerns over fees on leased land for production, which had swelled to 5-10 times higher, which had affected their businesses and hindered competitiveness.
The city also asked the Government to approve a piloted mechanism that would encourage investors to support industry projects.
In a related move, Ha Noi aims to have around 700 small and medium-sized enterprises operating in support industries by 2020 to serve 50 per cent of industrial manufacture demand across the city.
It is focusing on sectors including engineering, electrical equipment, automobile production and assembly, electronics and support industries for hi-tech products.
Minister Vinh said that as a driving force of northern region, Ha Noi had yet to develop to its full potential due to policy bottlenecks. The ministry would further investigate mechanisms and policies to help the city address its current limitations, he said.
He suggested the city issue bonds to mobilise capital for infrastructure construction.
The city could also propose key major projects to be funded through Government bonds, he added.
‘Intelligent' traffic
An "intelligent" traffic management system (ITS) will be piloted on Thang Long Avenue in Ha Noi, the Department of Transport told the city's People's Committee yesterday.
So far, few details of the system have been released, apart from the fact that it is intended to speed up the flow of traffic.
It is also known that eventually, vehicle drivers will be asked to pay fees to travel along special roads. In general, various types of ITS rely on radio services to control traffic.
The department said Thang Long Avenue was chosen for the pilot application as it was a modern highway and a key traffic route that connected the capital with many key routes in western Viet Nam.
Nearly VND130 billion ($6.25 million)) has been poured into the new system. Funding involved both public-private partnership (PPP) and build-operate-transfer (BOT).
The department said the new system would start by 2015 and fee collections from drivers would begin by 2016.
The Ha Noi Centre for Highway Management will be in charge of the system. It will apply advanced technologies in data collection, automatic sorting of vehicles, closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera system, electronic noticeboard system and overloaded vehicle management.
Several highways under construction in Ha Noi, such as from Ha Noi to Hai Phong and from Nhat Tan to Noi Bai, will also apply the new system.
The Ha Noi People's Committee has asked authorities to assess the efficiency of the pilot application to consider extending the project. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
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