National Highway No 5 passing through Hải Dương Province where many industrial parks are concentrated. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HẢI DƯƠNG — Departments, agencies and the two districts of Thanh Miện and Bình Giang have been asked to put forward, as a matter of urgency, sites which could be brought into a specialised economic zone.

On Tuesday, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hải Dương Province Lưu Văn Bản requested that they get involved with the consulting unit working on a special zone in Hải Dương.

There are just two weeks left for the provincial Department of Planning and Investment to finalise the proposal for the establishment of the economic zone to seek opinions from the Provincial Party Standing Committee and submit it to the Prime Minister.

Lưu Văn Bản suggested the provincial Department of Industry and Trade coordinate with the consulting unit to clarify the quantity and area of industrial clusters, electrical infrastructure, commercial centres, markets and logistical areas.

The provincial Department of Construction is to study the scale and area of social housing, commercial housing, fire prevention and control conditions and also coordinate with the provincial Department of Science and Technology to determine the scale and scope of the innovation centre. They will work with the health and cultural sectors to identify the scale of healthcare infrastructure and cultural-sports facilities needed.

The provincial Department of Planning and Investment and the Provincial Management Board of Industrial Zones also need to provide advice on identifying potential and strategic investors to be included in the proposal, he added.

According to the draft, preliminary estimates indicate that the minimum investment capital required to build basic socio-economic infrastructure for the entire specialised economic zone is about VNĐ78 trillion (US$3.1 billion) for the period 2021-35.

To optimise the use of investment capital, the focus will be on maximising the use of State budget funds, coupled with the full exploitation of resources from targeted programs and national projects.

The total area of the specialised economic zone is 5,300 hectares, including about 1,933 hectares in Bình Giang District, covering eight communes: Tân Hồng, Bình Minh, Thái Học, Nhân Quyền, Cổ Bì, Thái Dương, Thái Hòa, Bình Xuyên and about 3,367 hectares in ten communes of Thanh Miện District: Thanh Tùng, Phạm Kha, Đoàn Tùng, Hồng Quang, Ngô Quyền, Tân Trào, Đoàn Kết, Lê Hồng, Lam Sơn, and the town of Thanh Miện.

The proposal defines the function of the specialised economic zone as an economic growth driver and a new growth pole for Hải Dương and the Red River Delta. This zone is expected to make a significant contribution to the province's economic output and serve as a platform for implementing new production models and projects.

The plan is to establish 13 industrial zones with a total area of about 3,900 hectares. Six industrial zones are already included in the provincial plan until 2030 and seven potential industrial zones are expected to be formed after 2030 or when conditions permit, with an area of about 1,755 hectares.

The proposed establishment date for the Hải Dương specialised economic zone is in the fourth quarter of 2024. — VNS