VietNamNet Bridge – The HCMC government will not grant permits for underground work construction in the central districts of 1, 3, 4, 5 and 10 and traffic jam-prone areas from next year, meaning that contractors will be barred from digging roads and setting up ‘blockhouses’ to facilitate construction.

To prevent road digging and traffic congestion, the Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program and Saigon Water Supply Corporation have been assigned to study the method of handling underground pipelines instead of digging up road surface, according to a directive of local authorities which was discussed Tuesday.

Concerning roads that need to be dug this year, investors have to use underground robotic drilling equipment to carry out works.

The two solutions will be applied so that road digging will be banned in central districts and traffic jam-prone areas from next year.

Next year, the Department of Transport will announce the list of enterprises disallowed for project design, construction and supervision in the city and regular violators of road digging and road surface re-construction rules.

Those with three infringements will be barred from constructing or supervising projects while violating consultancy units may be prohibited from this business for one to three years.

According to Bui Xuan Cuong, deputy director of the department, to ensure comprehensive urban infrastructure construction, the local government has told many departments to join forces to set up an infrastructure investment plan in the city from now until 2015 and even after that.

Earlier, the Department of Transport suspended many contractors for violating rules but careless road surface reconstruction still occurs.

Source: SGT