Ho Chi Minh City prepares conditions for new government model

From July 1, the commune and ward government apparatus in Ho Chi Minh City officially operated under the 2-level local government model. In addition to preparations for headquarters, technological infrastructure, and professional expertise of officials and civil servants, many new wards also urgently renovated their headquarters, built a spacious, friendly and close working environment, and received people.

Movement at each ward and each headquarters

On June 26th, the atmosphere in the wards of Thu Duc City was bustling as many wards were simultaneously arranging the handover of work and renovating their headquarters in preparation for the official opening day. At the former headquarters of Tang Nhon Phu A ward, located at 29 Le Van Viet Street, preparations were in their final stages. Officials and civil servants were busy transferring documents, installing new nameplates, and rearranging the workspace. The newly merged Tang Nhon Phu ward has a population of over 180,000 people, therefore, reorganizing the administrative structure and workplace is an urgent requirement.

The Public Administrative Service Center of Tang Nhon Phu Ward (Ho Chi Minh City) is being urgently renovated to be ready to serve the people on July 1st. Photo: THU HUONG

At the headquarters of the An Khánh Ward People's Committee (Thủ Đức City) - where the new An Khánh Ward headquarters will be located (after the reorganization of An Khánh, An Lợi Đông, Thảo Điền, Thủ Thiêm wards and part of An Phú ward) - renovations are also underway, from the signage system and office area to the Public Administrative Service Center. Mr. Nguyễn Thành Trung, Head of the Internal Affairs Department of Thủ Đức City (expected to hold the position of Chairman of the An Khánh Ward People's Committee), said that according to the schedule, by June 28th, all infrastructure, information technology, and personnel will be fully deployed so that the new system will be ready to serve the people by July 1st. The An Khánh Ward Public Administrative Service Center is expected to be inaugurated on June 30th.

Similarly, the headquarters of the People's Committee and the Public Administrative Service Center of Binh Loi Trung ward are being urgently renovated. Currently the headquarters of Ward 13 (Binh Thanh District), the renovations have been carried out at night for over a week to avoid disrupting the reception and processing of applications for Ward 13. “The new ward headquarters has been renovated. The process of organizing and transferring old files, equipment, and the new public service area is nearing completion, ready to begin serving the people on July 1st,” said Mr. Duong Tan Khanh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Ward 14 (expected to hold the position of Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Binh Loi Trung ward).

According to Mr. Khanh, the ward has arranged workspaces appropriately for each official and civil servant. In particular, the area for receiving citizens and businesses is designed to be friendly and approachable, so that people feel comfortable and convenient when coming to carry out procedures. “The requirement for friendly citizen service is a matter of special concern. Therefore, Binh Loi Trung ward has prepared itself to the best of its ability to improve service quality, aiming for a government that is close to and understands the people,” Mr. Duong Tan Khanh shared.

No interruption in serving the public.

At many offices, despite renovations and reorganizations, the "one-stop" service for receiving and returning documents continues to operate normally. The former Hiep Phu Ward People's Committee will soon become the headquarters of the Party Committee and mass organizations of Tang Nhon Phu Ward. While the exterior is in disarray due to the relocation of equipment and facilities, the document reception and return department for citizens continues to function as usual. Citizens who come here receive attentive guidance on procedures and document return from the officials and staff.

The An Khánh Ward Public Administrative Service Center is nearing completion and will be fully renovated by June 28th. Photo: THU HƯỜNG

For applications that have been received but whose processing time has passed the July 1st deadline, citizens are directed to the new ward office. Officials will also send notifications directly to citizens via their registered phone numbers. During the morning, many citizens also came to the ward office to inquire about where to pick up their previously submitted applications. They were all given detailed instructions by officials, assuring them that their applications would be processed on time at the new ward People's Committee office.

Also on the morning of June 26th, the headquarters of the People's Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward (Thu Duc City) was bustling like a festival. Officials and civil servants were simultaneously processing documents, participating in meetings to prepare for the new administrative structure, and handing over and renovating the headquarters. The sign "People's Committee of Hiep Binh Chanh Ward" was taken down and wiped clean of the dust of time, as a solemn farewell to a place that had served the people for many years.

In the hall where the merger resolution announcement ceremony would take place, the chairs and podiums were neatly rearranged. Thick stacks of files were meticulously sorted and carefully placed in cardboard boxes. Government documents would be sent to the new ward People's Committee, while Party documents would be transferred to the Party Committee's office. No one mentioned moving or staying, because the only thing everyone shared at this moment was the spirit of working wholeheartedly to ensure that no citizen's rights were interrupted, and that the transition would be smooth and complete.

Representatives from the wards affirmed that, despite the somewhat rushed schedule, all wards proactively and diligently completed the tasks. From repairing the headquarters, arranging desks, checking internet connections, to reorganizing the document storage facilities, all aspects were carried out decisively by the localities. The network system, public administration software, and data integration platform were ensured to be interconnected, minimizing network congestion or disruptions when citizens came to conduct transactions in the first days of July.

The newly renovated and modernized Public Administrative Service Centers of the wards are not only symbols of a new look, but more importantly, the most concrete manifestation of the determination to innovate and better serve the people.

On June 27, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued an urgent document conveying the directive of the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, regarding ensuring the reception and processing of administrative procedures after the reorganization of the administrative apparatus and the implementation of the two-tiered local government model.

The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee instructed the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Office to urgently provide a list of administrative procedures with submitted documents and to coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center to configure them on the National Database of Administrative Procedures. The Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center will continue its in-person and online training on the use of shared digital platforms for officials and civil servants at the ward and commune levels; ensuring that technical solutions for signal transmission and connectivity to wards and communes are smooth, stable, and absolutely free from interruptions.

Local People's Committees are urged to promptly review the equipment installed at the People's Committees of wards and communes after the reorganization to complete the information technology infrastructure. This is to maintain the stable operation of digital platforms and ensure information security, to be completed no later than June 28th. They are also urged to promptly provide a list of officially assigned officials and civil servants to work in wards and communes so that the Digital Transformation Center can create accounts and set up and configure them for use on the system.

The Chairpersons of the People's Committees of districts, counties, and Thu Duc City will preside over the handover of electronic documents and data, starting at 5 PM on June 30th. The Department of Science and Technology will compile and immediately propose a list of equipment registered by wards and communes, along with the equipment procurement plan, to be completed before July 11th; and will urgently register digital certificates for 168 wards, communes, and special zones to ensure the conditions for processing documents in an electronic environment.

NGO BINH

REPORTER TEAM

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-san-sang-cac-dieu-kien-cho-mo-hinh-chinh-quyen-moi-post801482.html