Thursday, 13 April 2017
PM Discusses Development Projects with Staff of Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan visited the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. During a consultation held with the Ministry’s senior staff, the Premier discussed ongoing projects, current issues and activities.
The Prime Minister was first reported the current situation in the field of road construction. It was noted that out of 7400 km road network 3,600 km is in the Ministry’s service domain, and 3,800 km - in the provinces. About 20 percent of the road network - 1,400 km - is in good condition, about 600 km in poor condition and in need of urgent repairs, while the remaining 5,400 km is in a medium state and can be maintained through running service.
The Head of Government was informed that a development program has been developed for the next 5-7 years with an estimated volume of annual investment of AMD 90 billion.
”You know that we are short of those 90 billion drams. What is the solution to the problem? You need to do a classification of roads in order to determine which is the best option for individual communities and after having a road map, you will have to reconsider the estimates. The further you classify, the greater will be the financial effect,” Karen Karapetyan said.
With reference to tenders, the Prime Minister highlighted the provision of conditions for the development of cooperation between road building companies and the entities entrusted with the maintenance of roads. “The road builder and the operator need to unite for cooperation purposes. I want you to formulate such rules as may lead to large, serious companies,” the Premier said.
Karen Karapetyan was also briefed on the status of inter-marz and intra-marz transport network and access to transportation. It was noted that there are 153 inter-marz and 263 intra-marz routes, which together serve 644 communities. The number of operators is 145. The average profitability varies, depending on the volume of passenger traffic. To give a thorough solution to the problem, the Ministry considers it prospective to form a common route network and consolidate operators.
Karen Karapetyan instructed the Ministry to take the initial information as a basis and within two months, develop and submit the terms of reference for a common route network, after which the next steps will be considered.
The Prime Minister said to be pleased with the reports prepared by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and urged them to be more active and courageous.
