The Deputy Prime Minister urged the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and local authorities to promptly assess the sand supply capacity for the North-South Expressway and the HCMC Ring Road No.3 projects, ensuring timely solutions such as boosting capacity and incorporating new mines to meet actual demand. They are also instructed to proactively address any obstacles encountered in the business exploitation process.
On April 1, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting at the HCMC People's Committee Office to address challenges related to construction materials for the Ring Road No.3 project.
At the meeting, Chairman Phan Van Mai of the HCMC People's Committee reported that the total sand demand for the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project is approximately 9.3 million cubic meters, with 6.5 million cubic meters required in 2024 alone. Of these, 4.7 million cubic meters are designated for HCMC. However, contractors involved in this project are encountering challenges in sourcing sand for road filling, as provinces prioritize supplying sand for local projects and the North-South Expressway. To address this issue, HCMC suggests that provinces redistribute and allocate a portion of the sand from operational mines that serve other highway projects to the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project. Additionally, the city proposes streamlining procedures for extending or renewing sand mining permits for some mines. According to the project schedule, the HCMC People's Committee proposes specific sand filling volumes of 450 thousand cubic meters in April, 330 thousand cubic meters in May, 2.3 million cubic meters from June to August, and 3.4 million cubic meters from September to December.
Chairman Tran Ngoc Tam of the Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee said that the province plans to permit the operation of six mines in 2024, yielding an estimated 14.9 million cubic meters of sand. They possibly supply an additional 850 thousand cubic meters of sand compared to the initial commitment to HCMC. The province is seeking support from relevant ministries and agencies to expedite the extension/renewal or issuance of new sand mining permits thoroughly and efficiently.
Leadership in Tien Giang Province committed to providing approximately 6.3 million cubic meters of sand for the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project, with 3.8 million cubic meters expected to be delivered in 2024. Representatives from the People's Committees of An Giang and Dong Thap provinces also pledged to transfer around 400 thousand cubic meters of sand from their mining operations that serve the North-South Expressway projects to the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project.
At the meeting's conclusion, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha commended the HCMC People's Committee for their detailed and specific report on the sand filling requirements aligned with the milestones of the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project.
The Deputy Prime Minister urged the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and local authorities to promptly assess the sand supply capacity for the North-South Expressway and the HCMC Ring Road No.3 projects, ensuring timely solutions such as boosting capacity and incorporating new mines to meet actual demand. They are also instructed to proactively address any obstacles encountered in the business exploitation process.
The Deputy Prime Minister also suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment promptly issue documents authorizing localities to conduct procedures for selecting investors and issuing licenses for sand mining. Additionally, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction should review and establish unit prices and specific procedures for announcing the results of the pilot use of sea sand as leveling material, provide guidance to localities on licensing procedures, norms, and unit prices for sea sand exploitation, import construction materials, and dredge waterway traffic channels.
Regarding the proposal for sand mining in the Ba Lai River of Ben Tre Province, it requires careful consideration by relevant ministries and agencies due to its implications beyond sand mining alone.
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the establishment of an interagency task force to collaborate with the provinces of Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, and Soc Trang to leverage mechanisms for extending/renewing permits and increasing sand mining capacity to support the HCMC Ring Road No.3 project following mechanisms approved by the National Assembly and the Government, while also maintaining a balance with the requirements of the North-South Expressway projects and closely adhering to the project timeline. Furthermore, rigorous monitoring and supervision of environmental impacts and adherence to mining regulations by businesses should be integrated into these efforts.
