BANGKOK, 16 April 2015 – The Ministry of Transport has been considering the use of Section 44 to expedite its infrastructure projects.
In a bid to bring several projects initiated during this administration to fruition, Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong said that he may apply Section 44 of the 2014 interim government to ongoing issues.
The Transport Minister had been referring to the replacement of the Department of Civil Aviation due to its downgrade by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Section 44 provides the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) with wide discretion to issue orders and undertake acts that the NCPO deems appropriate for the sake of national reform. The Transport Minister said the use of Section 44 may speed up government action.
Many of the ministry’s development projects are faced with slow progress. ACM Prajin said that unexpected problems that needed to be corrected urgently have impeded the ministry’s efforts to execute its projects.
Several projects that the minister wishes to accomplish within this administration include the expansion of Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Don Mueang Airport and U-Tapao Airport; the construction of the dual-track railway, new motorways and expressways; and the purchase of NGV buses.
