Strengthening personnel, restoring urban order

Many localities have reported difficulties in managing construction order and urban order. The lack of specialized forces at the grassroots level has led to serious encroachment on sidewalks and roads in many places. Therefore, many wards and communes have proposed stronger and more flexible solutions to restore discipline and restore urban order and beauty.

Sidewalks are occupied in many places

In early August, SGGP reporters recorded that many sidewalks on streets such as Nguyen Gia Tri, D5 (Thanh My Tay ward), To Hien Thanh, Cach Mang Thang Tam (Hoa Hung ward), Dinh Bo Linh, Nguyen Xi (Binh Thanh ward)... were occupied as places for trading and parking. In many places, the sidewalks have almost no space left for pedestrians. In some places, street vendors' carts and motorbikes of people stopping to buy things have spilled onto the road, obstructing traffic. This situation not only affects the urban beauty but also poses a potential risk to pedestrian safety.

Cars parked on To Hien Thanh street, Hoa Hung ward, HCMC. Photo: CAM TUYET

Nha Be Commune - a locality quite far from the center, also cannot avoid the situation of sidewalks and roads being occupied for trading. Mr. Vo Phan Le Nguyen, Chairman of Nha Be Commune People's Committee, said that urban order management is very difficult. Since the operation of the 2-level local government, the local inspectors have withdrawn to the Department of Construction and the urban order team has also stopped working, making this task even more difficult. The Chairman of Nha Be Commune People's Committee has proposed that Ho Chi Minh City soon allow localities to establish urban order forces to ensure local management.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Chairman of Phuoc Thang Ward People's Committee, encouraged businesses not to encroach on sidewalks for trading. Photo: HOANG HUONG

This situation also occurs in some wards that are the "centers" of tourism in Ho Chi Minh City such as Vung Tau Ward and Tam Thang Ward. On Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Nguyen Trung Truc, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, and Hoang Hoa Tham streets (Vung Tau Ward), people are bustling with business. Most of the businesses have encroached on the sidewalks, spilling over onto part of the roadway, causing urban disorder and affecting traffic participants. A representative of the Department of Infrastructure Economics and Urban Management of Vung Tau Ward said that from July 1, the task of managing urban order has been carried out by the Department of Infrastructure Economics and Urban Management at the commune level. Accordingly, the ward has established 3 teams to handle issues related to urban order and aesthetics. However, due to the large area, limited forces and insufficient means, urban order management is still facing many difficulties. The situation of encroachment on the roadway and sidewalks has not been thoroughly handled. Vung Tau Ward is proposing to re-establish an urban order management team with the same functions and tasks as before to better perform its tasks and more effectively manage urban order and beauty in the ward.

Secretary of the Vung Tau Ward Party Committee (HCMC) Nguyen Tan Ban directly directed functional forces to carry out the task of restoring urban order. Photo: QUANG VU

Set up working groups in the area

According to the Secretary of the Ben Thanh Ward Party Committee, Hoang Thi To Nga, currently, the task of managing construction order is assigned to the ward's civil servants, while managing roadside order is assigned to the ward police in coordination with the ward's military forces. The Secretary of the Ben Thanh Ward Party Committee affirmed that in more than a month of operating the 2-level local government, the ward has made efforts to manage urban order and roadside order. However, after the end of the Urban Order Management Team's activities, the lack of a specialized force has caused many difficulties in managing roadside order and construction. Therefore, the locality wishes to re-establish the commune-level urban order management team, with the number appropriate to the specific situation and reality of each locality. This is also the wish of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Hung Thuan Ward, Vo Thi Chinh.

Mr. Vo Hoang Ngan, Director of the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City, acknowledged that having a force to manage urban order and construction order at the grassroots level is very necessary. However, according to current regulations, the ward, commune and special zone models do not have this force, but only have specialized departments on economics or economics, infrastructure and urban areas, but the force is thin, making it difficult to ensure patrolling, monitoring and detecting violations. Meanwhile, the inspection force of the Department of Construction has ended its operations and transformed into a specialized inspection department, no longer having the nature of an inspection force as before. Faced with that situation, the Department of Construction has established working groups in the area to handle violations of construction order, but that is a short-term solution. In the long term, the Department of Construction will coordinate with the Department of Home Affairs to advise the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on appropriate mechanisms and policies to help the People's Committees at the commune level have a force to patrol, inspect and handle violations of construction order and urban order.

There will be a Commune-level Traffic Safety Committee.

Recently, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong signed a document conveying the direction of the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the consolidation of the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee and the establishment of commune-level Traffic Safety Committees. The Chairman of the Commune-level People's Committee decides on the composition of the committee members, the standing body and issues the operating regulations for the committee. With the above direction, localities expect that the established Commune-level Traffic Safety Committee will be an extension in the work of monitoring and handling violations of traffic order and urban order, ensuring urban beauty and traffic safety.

Previously, Ho Chi Minh City implemented Decision 32/2023 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee regulating the management and temporary use of a part of the roadway and sidewalk in the city. This solution has partly helped some sidewalks in the city center to be more orderly, ensuring that people can use the sidewalk for business, pedestrians can still have a path, and vehicles can be arranged neatly and scientifically . However, from January 2025, new regulations such as the Road Law, the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order and Decree 165/2024 will take effect, so Decision 32 is no longer suitable.

According to Mr. Than Vinh Long, Deputy Head of the Urban Development Department (HCMC Department of Construction), service businesses and goods trading on the sidewalks that have paid fees will be maintained until the end of the fee payment period, the city will not consider approving new locations. The Department of Construction also proposed to develop a new project on sidewalk management and exploitation based on the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets.

AUTUMN HUONG - NGO BINH - CAM TUYET - QUANG VU

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/kien-toan-nhan-su-tai-lap-trat-tu-do-thi-post807532.html