Law

'Security lighting' - illuminating the country roads beautifully.

Khanh Ly • September 17, 2024 09:19

Despite facing many difficulties, thanks to skillful community mobilization, in many villages and hamlets of Muong Ngoc commune (Que Phong district), people have contributed funds and labor to build rural roads in conjunction with the "Security Lighting" model. This not only brings a more vibrant appearance to the villages and hamlets but also contributes to maintaining security, order, and peace in the villages. From there, it creates motivation for people to confidently engage in production, develop household economies, and build new rural areas...

Nowadays, walking along the roads in Hai Lam village, Muong Ngoc commune at night is no longer as dark and deserted as before. This is because the road system, including the branch roads within the village, has been concreted and equipped with streetlights, making travel convenient. As soon as dusk falls, the streetlights are switched on. Both sides of the inter-village road become a place for the elderly to relax and for children to play.

Speaking with us, Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, head of Hai Lam village, said: Although not the first village to implement this model, Hai Lam was the first to raise 180 million VND to carry out the project of installing streetlights to cover 8 internal village roads, with a total length of 7.4 km, not including some branch roads.

Previously, when the commune initiated the "Security Lighting" model, recognizing it as a good approach that aligned with the aspirations of the people, the Hai Lam hamlet Party branch issued a resolution. Following this, an expanded Party branch meeting, attended by representatives from various associations and organizations, was held to finalize the plan, methods, and specific budget estimates. A public consultation meeting was then held, and the plan received strong support and approval. On average, each family contributed 900,000 VND in two installments, a contribution that was enthusiastically received.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chieu, a model of successful economic development in Hai Lam hamlet, happily stated: "Since the electricity was installed, security and order have stabilized, people's travel at night is more convenient, and the village looks much more civilized. Farmers like us, returning late after planting acacia trees or working in the fields, feel more secure... With a synchronized transportation system, agricultural products are also sold more easily because traders can come to buy them directly from the gardens, increasing income many times compared to before."

Therefore, Mr. Chieu's family boldly implemented a standard rural garden plan on an area of ​​nearly 4,000m2, divided into areas for livestock farming, fruit tree and vegetable cultivation, and a fish pond. They installed an automatic irrigation system for the plants and used clean production and livestock farming methods certified by VietGAP.

Hai Lam village covers a total area of ​​320 hectares with 197 households and 782 inhabitants, comprising two ethnic groups: Thai and Kinh. Notably, the village is a gathering place for people from 7 provinces and 19 districts across the country who have come to settle and develop a multi-sector economy (forestry, livestock farming, vegetable cultivation, trading, and labor export...).

Despite coming from diverse backgrounds with different customs and traditions, thanks to the skillful "people mobilization" efforts of the Party committee and village management board, they have been able to foster consensus and unity in building new rural areas.

According to Village Head Nguyen Van Thang: Previously, the village's infrastructure was poor and dilapidated, transportation was very difficult, and many roads were muddy. When the Resolution on building new rural areas was issued, the Party Committee and the Village Management Board determined that the first priority was to create a breakthrough in transportation, because convenient transportation would stimulate production, and the material and spiritual lives of the people would be improved as a result.

Therefore, the village established a Development Committee headed by the Party Branch Secretary, who directly assigned tasks to members, going door-to-door in conjunction with village meetings and group activities to organize propaganda and mobilize people to donate land, contribute funds, and contribute labor to build rural roads and install streetlights.

In this process, cadres and Party members take the lead, and all projects and tasks are carried out in the spirit of "serving the people" and the motto "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, and the people benefit."

Thanks to this, to date, the entire Hai Lam village has built 7 km of concrete roads within the village. The people voluntarily donated thousands of square meters of land, demolished hundreds of meters of brick fences, contributed over 800 million VND and more than 20,000 man-days of labor to build the roads.

The village also successfully mobilized its people, especially those working abroad (the entire village has 55 workers currently working overseas), to contribute 100 million VND to renovate the grounds and purchase equipment for the cultural center... contributing to Hai Lam village achieving the new rural standard in 2023.

Not only in Hai Lam village, but the movement to build roads and streetlights has become a "new wave," creating a vibrant atmosphere of competition throughout Muong Ngoc commune. Each village has its own way of doing things, but all are supported by the people.

In Trung Son hamlet, home to 153 households, 636 people, and six ethnic groups, the Party branch and hamlet management board have leveraged the advantage of having a large concentration of officials, civil servants, and retired cadres. They have applied effective "people mobilization" combined with emphasizing the exemplary spirit of "saying what you mean and doing what you say" to mobilize the people's contributions to the construction of cultural and sports facilities. Currently, 100% of the rural roads in Trung Son hamlet have been concreted, and it is also one of the hamlets with the most beautiful flagpoles and streetlights in the commune.

Ms. Hoang Thi Dung (62 years old), head of Trung Son hamlet, said: "Previously, the hamlet proactively installed streetlights along about 2km of Road 554B passing through the area. In 2003, when the 'Security Lighting' model was launched, the hamlet mobilized residents to install 102 streetlights on 5 internal village roads, with a total cost of over 200 million VND."

In addition, on average, each household contributes 150,000 VND per year for line maintenance and electricity bills. This policy is in line with the people's wishes and brings practical benefits to the people, so it has been supported and approved by the local community.

As a unit selected to build a model cultural hamlet at the provincial level, in addition to renovating and upgrading the road system and installing "Security Lighting," Trung Son hamlet also mobilized the people to contribute funds and labor to build a flag-lined road with banners and posters for propaganda purposes at the hamlet's cultural center, worth 20 million VND; and upgraded two volleyball courts and built a football field for youth, worth more than 50 million VND.

The grounds of the community cultural center, a cultural institution in the hamlet, meet the criteria of "bright, green, clean, and beautiful" with a system of stone benches, trees, and trash cans donated by residents, children working away from home, and various organizations.

“The village has brightened up, and everyone is happy, especially since the ‘Security Lighting’ model was implemented. At night, the streets in Trung Son hamlet are brightly lit like in the city, making it safer for students returning home late from school, and more convenient for people exercising… This is the result of the consensus between ‘the Party’s will and the people’s aspirations’ towards the goal of building a new rural area in the spirit of ‘the people work, the people enjoy’,” said Ms. Hoang Thi Huyen, Head of the Front Committee of Trung Son hamlet, happily.

Muong Ngoc is located in the central area of ​​Que Phong district with a total natural area of ​​50.78 km2. The entire commune has 1,506 households and 6,422 inhabitants, comprising three ethnic groups: Thai, Kinh, and Kho Mu, living in 11 hamlets and villages.

Since 2020, after the merger of Que Son and Muong Ngoc communes into Muong Ngoc commune, the entire political system of the commune began to work on building a new rural area. At that time, the commune had only met 14 out of 19 criteria; in particular, some hard criteria such as income, housing, multidimensional poverty, and transportation had not yet been met.

Therefore, in addition to solutions such as eliminating dilapidated houses, focusing on converting high-lying land and alluvial plains to concentrated production of vegetables and flowers, and building economic models to increase people's income, local Party committees and authorities are focusing on disseminating information and mobilizing people to contribute labor and resources to build rural roads and public works.

However, for localities with a high percentage of ethnic minorities (up to 67%), disseminating information and mobilizing people to understand that they are the main actors in building new rural areas is not an easy task.

Therefore, along with propaganda in various forms, local Party committees and authorities require cadres and Party members to promote a pioneering and exemplary spirit in various movements, from land clearance to contributing labor and funds to build rural roads, flagpoles, and streetlights...; assigning cadres to be in charge of villages to work alongside the people, creating a vibrant emulation movement for building new rural areas throughout the commune.

To encourage the movement, the Party Committee and government of Muong Ngoc commune directed the political system to build effective mass mobilization models focusing on "difficult" tasks such as: land clearance; expanding rural roads, building security power lines; resolving complex and pressing "hot spots" arising at the grassroots level... Through this, consensus was created in the effective implementation of the local political tasks, especially in fulfilling the "difficult" criteria in building new rural areas.

Thanks to the skillful combination of funding from the province and district, along with contributions from the people, 20.86km of village and inter-village roads in Muong Ngoc commune have been concreted, ensuring convenient vehicle access. Projects such as the concrete bridge over the Nam Giai River, the Thanh Phong 1 - Thanh Phong 2 inter-village road, and the Truong Banh irrigation system have also been started or repaired.

In addition, according to local leaders, the commune has provincial road DT.544B with a total length of 6.58 km, district road H.336 with a length of 12 km, one commune road with a length of 4.56 km, 46 village and inter-village roads with a total length of 20.86 km, and 53 alleyways with a total length of 9.73 km.

Over the past period, the entire political system from the commune to the hamlets and villages in Muong Ngoc has mobilized the people's strength to effectively implement the clearing of trees and bushes that obstruct the visibility of vehicles, creating clear sidewalks and pavements; at the same time, they regularly propagate and raise awareness among the people, especially households selling goods along the provincial road, to prevent encroachment on sidewalks and road shoulders for buying and selling, building platforms, placing canopies, or carrying out other activities that encroach on the traffic safety corridor and obstruct the visibility of vehicles participating in traffic...

Newly constructed or upgraded roads have transformed the face of the rural area; however, while the roads are now clear, residents are increasingly worried about traffic accidents and potential security and order issues, especially at night. To address this problem and aim for roads that meet the criteria of being "bright, green, clean, and beautiful," the local Party committee and government have launched a "Security Lighting" model throughout the commune.

Speaking with us, Comrade Lo Thi Hong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Ngoc commune, said: Starting from pilot units, seeing the practical effectiveness of the model, the people in the villages have agreed and responded, voluntarily contributing additional funds along with support from agencies and businesses located in the area to expand the implementation throughout the entire commune.

The model has yielded many positive results, illuminating roads, facilitating convenient travel for residents at night, and contributing to making village roads and alleys bright, green, clean, and beautiful, reducing traffic accidents, decreasing theft, and reducing gatherings that disrupt security and order. The model also contributes to improving the effectiveness of patrol and control work by local security forces and commune police, ensuring peace and happiness for the people.

To ensure adequate lighting and safety during use, the Mường Nọc commune authorities have directed village and hamlet management boards to regularly inspect and repair damaged light bulbs and electrical wires, and promptly handle any incidents that may occur.

"In the near future, we will direct the implementation of the 'Security Lighting' model in the remaining three units to improve the material and spiritual lives of the people and create a more vibrant appearance for the villages," said Comrade Lo Thi Hong.

By leveraging the people's strength to build and replicate models of bright and beautiful transportation routes, creating momentum to promote socio-economic development and ensure security and order in the area, Muong Ngoc has contributed to completing all 19 criteria and has been recognized as a new rural commune by Decision No. 2200 dated August 23, 2024, issued by the Provincial People's Committee. Muong Ngoc is also the first unit in Que Phong district (30a) to achieve the new rural commune status in the 2021-2025 period.