'Approve transport law before new rail lines'
The government should approve the draft of the Transport Ministry's transport management law before making a decision on investments in mass-transit electric rail systems, a source at the ministry said yesterday.
The source said the transport management law would help the state save on construction costs as well as creating fairness for people affected by any projects involved with mass transit. Apart from expropriation, the law will give the state more choices, including purchasing and leasing plots. "We must admit that the investments of the ministry, including in electric rail and roads, will have an impact, both positive and negative, on people living near the projects," said the source. The source said many developed countries had already implemented fair transport management laws. In Thailand, the state uses only the expropriation method to acquire land for infrastructure projects. Many projects are therefore strongly resisted by the people affected. The source said the draft transport management law had been waiting for approval by the previous Thaksin government before going to Parliament. With a new government now in place, the source said the Transport Ministry should speed up passage of the law before making any investments in mass-transit projects. The source added that the expropriation for the electric rail lines, which are mostly planned for business areas, would be costly. Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um said the authority would have to conduct a study on the transport management law and also discuss it with participants first, but this should not take long. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula said yesterday that this month, the Cabinet would be presented the plan for the investment in all electric rail routes as well as the bidding schedules. Earlier, it was reported that the government would start the investments with the Blue Line, from Bang Sue to Bang Yai. However, Sansern said the transport and finance ministries had discussed the feasibility of building all seven railway routes. "Within two weeks there should be a conclusion on which routes the government will proceed with, taking into consideration the readiness for construction, investment and legal framework," he said.
Watcharapong Thongrung The Nation
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