(HNMO) - Sidewalks being used for displaying goods, and roads being used for parking bicycles and motorbikes... are frequent violations in the area surrounding Nghia Tan Market (Cau Giay District), especially in the A25 Nghia Tan residential area. Over time, residents have come to regard this as an "makeshift market" with a wide variety of goods for sale and many ways to evade authorities when they patrol and handle violations.
At 10:30 AM on April 26th, the area around the back gate of Nghia Tan Market was busier than ever. Along both sides of the sidewalk near the back gate, at the turn-off from alley 385 Hoang Quoc Viet, dozens of vendors were taking advantage of the space to conduct business. People freely parked their vehicles while shopping, making the residential area even more crowded.
Ms. Tran Thi Nga, a resident of the A25 Nghia Tan apartment complex, said that whenever the weather is humid or there is drizzle, wastewater discharged from washing shrimp and fish emits a foul odor, polluting the environment in the area.
Observations show that the makeshift market operates from 5 am to 8 pm, so residents here constantly endure the noise and congestion, as well as the encroachment on sidewalks. Over time, they have had to get used to this situation, but they often feel frustrated. Mr. Tran Quang Ha, who rents a shop in the A25 residential area, said that although he has put up a sign prohibiting parking in front of his shop, within a short time, motorbikes are parked all over the area next door to buy goods, significantly affecting his business.
Local residents also stated that, due to the densely populated nature of the old apartment complex and its narrow streets, small traders, knowing they are violating regulations, continue to do so for their livelihood. Therefore, upon spotting law enforcement officers approaching from a distance, households signal each other to quickly pack up their goods. Many traders, after being inspected and having their business equipment confiscated, paid fines but then violated the regulations again.
This is why urban security and order in the A25 residential area are constantly affected, resulting in unsanitary conditions, messy streets, traffic congestion, and the deterioration of urban infrastructure due to waste left behind from the makeshift market.
Responding to this issue, Nguyen Huu Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Tan Ward (Cau Giay District), said that the businesses operating in the A25 residential area originated from residents who either ran their own businesses or rented out space inside their homes. Over time, these households arbitrarily encroached on the sidewalks to display their goods. Therefore, when ward officials inspected and reminded them, they complied by tidying up their goods, but they resumed the violations once the officials left.
Sharing the difficulties, Mr. Nguyen Huu Nam said that due to the unique characteristic of households opening their own shops, handling violations is very challenging. Furthermore, the ward's functional forces are limited, making it impossible to control the entire situation. From the beginning of 2023 until now, the ward's People's Committee has fined hundreds of cases of shops and street vendors encroaching on sidewalks and roads for business. However, despite numerous fines, the small traders often re-offend after a short time.
Besides inspecting and handling violations, the People's Committee of Nghia Tan Ward regularly organizes propaganda and signs commitments with businesses located along the street to refrain from illegally occupying sidewalks with goods and to arrange and organize goods within the storefront. However, due to the cramped conditions of the old apartment buildings and their proximity to the main Nghia Tan market, many shops and stalls have sprung up to sell goods. Therefore, the local authorities need to take stronger action to reduce the encroachment of sidewalks and roads for business purposes, which detracts from the area's aesthetics.
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