Part of the National Highway No1 expansion project in northern Hung Yen Province is lagging behind schedule. The transport sector will tighten control over consultancy and supervision work to speed up the project's progress. – VNA/VNS Photo The Lap

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has urged construction units working on National Highway No. 1 and the Ho Chi Minh Highway expansion project to improve efforts in supervision and consultancy.

The request from Minister Thang follows lax consultancy and supervision efforts discovered in the initial phases of construction.

"There have been accusations that some individuals belonging to the consultancy and supervision team were interfering with the progress of the project by placing unreasonable demands on contractors," said Thang.

Thang also asked project management heads to assign more qualified human resources for consulting and supervisory efforts to speed up progress of the project, which is located in the Central Highlands.

"Strict punishments must be given to individuals and units that do not adhere to the contract regulations with regard to construction and examination," he stated, adding that violations needed to be reported to the ministry for disciplinary action.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the National Highway No. 1 expansion from central Thanh Hoa Province to southern Can Tho City was 608 kilometres long with a total investment capital of more than VND36 trillion (US$1.7 billion). The fund is comprised of revenue from Government bonds and loans from the Asian Development Bank.

The Ho Chi Minh expansion project in the Central Highland will measure 663 kilometres in length, with 110 kilometres completed in the first phase of the project.

The two projects are expected to complete by 2015. — VNS