Mr Dung made the request at a meeting in Hanoi on June 16 with the national steering committee for the project to review the construction of the project in the first half of 2007 and work out solutions for the second half.

After praising ministries, agencies, administrations of Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces, contractors and workers for their efforts in the past months, Mr Dung entrusted them with specific tasks to complete the project on schedule. 

Accordingly, the Ministry of Construction will consider and approve total estimates for the project in June 2007. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will formulate a scheme to protect upstream protective forests, focusing on policies to encourage local people to plant and protect the forests. The Ministry of Transport will develop a transport network towards sustainable development in the North-western region. The Ministry of Construction will instruct the general contractor and sub-contractors to follow the approved project to ensure the pace of construction and quality. The Ministry of Planning and Investment will appraise and submit total investment capital and adjusted capital for project components in the fourth quarter of this year. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will complete the appraisal and approval of a report on environmental impacts of the Son La Hydro-Electric Power Plant project.

The People’s Committees of Son la, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces will soon complete the formulation, appraisal and approval of detailed resettlement plans and zone off land to ensure stable lives and production of local people in the resettlement areas. 

The PM also asked Song Da Construction Corporation (the general contractor) to replace sub-contractors if they fail to meet the corporation’s requirements.

So far Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces have moved more than 6,000 households out of the construction site of the project, fulfilling one third of the plan.