Phu Tho: Obstacles in the provision of urban public utility services.

To ensure the continued provision of urban public services, Phu Tho province has adjusted its management activities to suit each stage and local reality, gradually resolving emerging difficulties and obstacles.

Employees of Phuc Yen Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company are taking care of street trees and flowers.

Many problems arose during the transition process.

Managing green spaces, street lighting, drainage, waste disposal, environmental sanitation, traffic lights, etc., are essential public services in urban areas, operating daily and without interruption. However, the implementation of urban public services in Phu Tho province is revealing numerous limitations due to incomplete handover of public assets, highly interconnected public service infrastructure, and lighting, drainage, and green space systems spanning across the boundaries of many communes and wards.

For example, the management agency has not adjusted the norms, unit prices, and estimates to suit actual conditions, and has not clearly defined the management boundaries of some inter-communal and inter-ward green areas, leading to overlapping or omissions in maintenance and care. In addition, some commune-level officials lack experience in preparing estimates, organizing bidding, signing, and managing public service contracts, resulting in slow implementation progress in many localities.

All communes and wards in Phu Tho province have reported not receiving timely funding to pay service providers.

Mr. Vu Minh Vi, Head of the Project Management Board of Phuc Yen Ward, said that due to a lack of funding, the ward has to prioritize street lighting on main roads and maintain garbage collection to avoid complaints and feedback from residents. Signing contracts on a monthly or quarterly basis also makes it difficult for businesses to proactively manage manpower, equipment, and long-term investment plans.

Due to a lack of funding, service providers have been forced to reduce the frequency of watering, pruning trees, replacing light bulbs, and decreasing the number of garbage collection sessions. On social media, some residents in Viet Tri and Vinh Yen expressed concerns about the disruption of urban lighting and the failure to replace broken light bulbs in a timely manner. In this transitional period, maintaining urban public services depends heavily on the service providers...

Improving the mechanisms for urban public utility services.

Following the implementation of a two-tiered local government system, the delineation of responsibilities for managing urban public utility services has been a priority for Phu Tho province, implemented in stages, becoming increasingly clear and complete. During the transitional period from July 2025 to the end of 2025, public utility service contracts will be transferred and received according to the new administrative boundaries. Specifically, contracts for Viet Tri City will be transferred to the Phu Tho Land Fund Development Center under a specific urban model.

Mr. Ha Xuan Tuong, Head of the Urban Development Department of the Department of Construction, said: "From January 2026 to the present, communes and wards have been managing public utility services according to the new administrative boundaries, with funding allocated directly to the commune-level budget." Management responsibilities are divided into two levels: At the provincial level, the Phu Tho Land Fund Development Center and the Vinh Phuc Regional Land Fund Development Center are responsible for managing all inter-commune/inter-ward services and shared technical infrastructure that cannot be separated by administrative boundaries.

Communes and wards are fully responsible for budget preparation, contractor selection, contract signing and management, acceptance testing, final settlement, and management of public assets serving public services in their areas. The Department of Construction plays an advisory role, issuing norms and unit prices, and conducting inspections, while the Department of Finance presides over the appraisal of budget estimates, guides budget allocation, and coordinates the guidance of financial procedures for communes. The Department of Construction is currently developing three sets of economic and technical norms for public service activities and urban public utility products and services, including lighting, green spaces, and drainage. The Department of Agriculture and Environment is developing unit prices for environmental sanitation, collection, and treatment of household waste.

Currently, Phu Tho province allows the application of a temporary ordering method to ensure uninterrupted service. From June 2026, communes, wards, and provincial-level units will officially switch to a bidding process. Recently, some localities have completed the bidding process, such as Van Phu ward, but some units, such as the Vinh Phuc Regional Land Fund Development Center, have not yet had sufficient basis to prepare estimates and organize bidding. Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Xuan Quang assessed: “Overall, throughout the transition period from July 1, 2025, urban public utility services in the province have been basically maintained continuously, without any service disruptions that seriously affect the lives and activities of the people.”

The difficulties in maintaining urban public utility services are not only a problem in Phu Tho but a common situation nationwide. In addressing these issues, localities need a roadmap to restructure urban management models towards a professional, modern approach suitable for the new administrative units. Simultaneously, they should research and promptly issue regulations on criteria and standards for the quality of public utility services and a unified mechanism for quality inspection and verification across the area; allocate sufficient budget funds to commune-level authorities; and allocate funds to complete the technical separation of inter-commune/ward lighting systems and train urban public utility service management personnel.

HA HONG HA

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phu-tho-vuong-mac-trong-cung-ung-dich-vu-cong-ich-do-thi-post966191.html