(kontumtv.vn) – On the morning of June 28th, with 462 out of 470 National Assembly delegates present voting in favor (accounting for 95.06% of the total number of delegates), the National Assembly passed the amended Law on the Capital City.

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The National Assembly votes to pass the amended Law on the Capital City. Photo: An Dang/TTXVN

The Law on the Capital City (amended) consists of 7 Chapters with 54 Articles, clearly defining the position and role of the Capital City; policies and responsibilities for the construction, development, management, and protection of the Capital City. The Law takes effect from January 1, 2025, except for the provisions in Clause 2 of Article 54, which take effect from July 1, 2025.

Before voting to approve the draft, the National Assembly heard the Chairman of the National Assembly's Law Committee, Hoang Thanh Tung, present the report explaining, accepting, and revising the draft Law on the Capital City (amended). Based on the feedback from National Assembly deputies, the draft Law has been reviewed and revised to stipulate that the organizational structure and tasks and powers of the various levels of government in Hanoi are implemented not only according to the provisions of the Law on the Capital City but also according to the provisions of the Law on Organization of Local Government; and to add the authority of the People's Committee of the ward to decide on matters that, according to other legal documents, must be decided by the People's Council of the commune or must be approved by the People's Council of the commune before being decided or submitted to the competent authority for consideration and decision.

Simultaneously, along with regulations on decentralization and delegation of authority between different levels of government in Hanoi, the draft Law has added provisions on the decentralization and delegation of authority from the Government, the Prime Minister , ministries, and agencies to the agencies of Hanoi city to concretize the policy of promoting decentralization and delegation of authority.

According to the Chairman of the Law Committee, regarding policies on the construction, development, management, protection of the Capital City and the mobilization of resources for the Capital City's development, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has incorporated and revised regulations on the management and use of land on riverbanks and sandbars along rivers with dikes, ensuring compliance with planning and flood control requirements.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly also reviewed cases requiring urban renovation and beautification projects to ensure there is no duplication; abolished the regulation assigning the City People's Committee to organize the sale of old houses; and revised it to entrust the People's Council with the detailed regulations on the conditions, procedures, and processes for implementing urban renovation and beautification projects in the city. At the same time, the draft Law added a provision assigning the City People's Committee the authority to regulate the procedures for recognizing and revoking the recognition of high-quality educational institutions, as well as the evaluation, accreditation, and maintenance of the quality of high-quality educational institutions, to ensure feasibility and rigor in the implementation process.

Regarding policies for the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, the National Assembly Standing Committee has revised regulations related to land allocation, land leasing, authority for land allocation and leasing, and land management within the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park to ensure they are both consistent with practical realities and aligned with the provisions of the 2024 Land Law, avoiding significant disruption in this area within the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park.

According to Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung, regarding controlled testing, the draft Law has been revised and amended to: prohibit testing in fields directly affecting national defense and security, and in the field of human gene modification; and establish a principle limiting the groups of legal regulations that organizations and businesses conducting controlled testing may be exempt from applying. Based on this, the City People's Council will decide on the scope of exemption from legal regulations in accordance with each specific project as well as the requirements and purposes of the testing…

Regarding regulations on the application of measures to suspend electricity and water services, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has directed a thorough review and addition of cases for applying this measure to address violations of fire and explosion prevention laws in the city in recent times; and added transitional provisions on the responsibility for supplementing electricity and water service contracts concluded before the effective date of this Law…

The Chairman of the Legal Committee stated that, because the Law on the Capital City only stipulates specific mechanisms and policies, demonstrating strong decentralization of power to the Hanoi city government, the Capital City is still subject to regulation by other laws and documents within the overall legal system. Therefore, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly acknowledges the heartfelt, relevant, and responsible opinions of the National Assembly deputies to continue researching and directing the review, amendment, and supplementation of relevant laws, ordinances, and resolutions to perfect the legal system in the future. At the same time, together with the Government, the Hanoi city government will continue to thoroughly implement the Law on the Capital City in the process of issuing detailed regulations, guidelines for implementation, and organization of the implementation of the Law on the Capital City.

Hanh Quynh (VNA)