The HCMC government has decided to advance VND39 billion (nearly US$1.7 million) to the Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC (MAUR) to pay the salaries and allowances of its employees.

An elevated section of the city’s first metro line adjacent to Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9

Duong Huu Hoa, president of the MAUR Labor Union, told Thanh Nien newspaper that the municipal People’s Committee has approved the proposal of the MAUR to advance the money from the local budget.

The money is expected to pay the salaries, training expenses and other recurrent expenditures, with the aim of ensuring the operations of the MAUR continue smoothly.

The city government asked the HCMC Department of Finance in cooperation with the HCMC State Treasury to speed up the procedures for the process.

Meanwhile, the MAUR is told to work with appraisal agencies to complete the adjustment of total investments in the city’s first and second metro lines connecting Ben Thanh Market in District 1 with Suoi Tien Park in District 9 and Tham Luong Depot in District 12, respectively.

The MAUR is also responsible for advising the Ministries of Finance and Planning-Investment to arrange fresh funds for the metro lines and repay the advances taken from the city budget this year.

Since September 2016, the local government has used its own budget to advance payments worth more than VND3.2 trillion for the first metro line.

Early this month, the MAUR suggested the city government advance VND39 billion from the local budget to pay the salaries and other recurrent expenditures. A similar proposal was made in November last year.

The MAUR said in the proposal that its employees have received only basic salary for two months since January 31. Without sufficient salaries, the staff cannot make ends meet or contribute to fulfilling MAUR’s assignments.

The current staff comprises 166 people. Between July 2016 and November last year, 45 staff tendered their resignations, including five executives and 37 specialists, while three others were laid off.

The first metro line, work on which commenced in August 2012, will stretch across 19.7 kilometers, mostly above the ground, and connect the city center with its eastern districts and the outlying district of Di An in the neighboring Binh Duong Province. It is expected to begin operations in 2020, two years later than originally planned.

The funding for the project has been revised upward to over VND47.3 trillion (US$2.04 billion) from the initial tally of some VND17.3 trillion in 2009.

The second metro line, which has yet to be developed, will also stretch across nearly 20 kilometers and link Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2 with Tay Ninh Coach Station in neighboring Tay Ninh Province.

In the first phase, the city will develop an 11.3-kilometer-long section running from Ben Thanh Market in the downtown area to Tham Luong Depot in District 12, including 9.3 kilometers of underground tracks.

Its investment is expected to amount to more than VND47.8 trillion (US$2.06 billion) from the initially approved VND26.1 trillion in 2010, due to its lengthy planning period, delays in the execution process, as well as increases in the construction workload and prices.

SGT