Voters in Vinh City have requested the early dredging of the North Canal.

On the morning of November 16th, provincial People's Council delegates: Pham Thi Hong Toan - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper; Nguyen Van Lu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vinh City People's Council; and Ngo Thi Thu Hien - Member of the Executive Committee of the Vinh City Women's Union, met with voters in Ha Huy Tap ward, Vinh City, before the 8th session of the People's Council.

Addressing pollution in the North Canal

At the conference, voters in Ha Huy Tap ward raised many suggestions to the provincial People's Council representatives, especially regarding infrastructure and the urban environment.

In particular, many voters continued to request environmental remediation at the North Canal because it is currently causing foul odors and affecting people's lives. Voter Nguyen Hong Ngai from Block 17 requested that the canal be dredged quickly.

Voters in Ha Huy Tap ward express their opinions. Photo: Thanh Duy

Agreeing with the above viewpoint, voter Nguyen Quang Hoa from Block 16 suggested that the North Canal should not only be dredged but also ensure a regular water supply during the dry season. Otherwise, it will only achieve the goal of drainage but will not ensure the landscape and environment.

Regarding this matter, Mr. Nguyen Van Lu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vinh City People's Council, and representative of the Provincial People's Council - affirmed that the city will allocate funds from the municipal budget to carry out the dredging of the North Canal, with implementation scheduled for the beginning of 2019 at the latest.

The North Canal, with its black, foul-smelling water, is affecting the lives of local residents. Photo taken on the morning of November 16, 2018. Photo: Thanh Duy

Mr. Lu also agreed with voter Nguyen Quang Hoa's opinion and said that when the regulating reservoir in Hung Loc commune is completed, it will both function to retain water and raise the water level in the canal.

"Traffic congestion is a major headache."

Many voters in Ha Huy Tap ward also expressed concerns about the development of Vinh city in particular, and the province in general, and wanted more information on topics such as: budget revenue, results of attracting businesses to invest in the VSIP Nghe An industrial park; progress of the Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard project;…

Other issues of great concern to voters include the management of apartment complexes and urban areas in the city; traffic congestion; the completion of certain infrastructure such as dredging canals within the areas; and addressing the tangled electrical wiring system, which has experienced short circuits in some places, posing a safety hazard.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vinh City People's Council, and Provincial People's Council representative - responds to voters' requests. Photo: Thanh Duy

Regarding traffic congestion, the Vinh City Party Committee leader frankly acknowledged that this is a "headache," one of the causes being the excessive number of cars compared to the infrastructure. Responding to voters' opinions, Mr. Nguyen Van Lu stated that he would direct relevant agencies to focus on addressing the issue, while also urging voters to continue raising their awareness when participating in traffic.

Regarding concerns about the tangled network of power lines and telecommunication cables on utility poles posing a safety hazard, the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee suggested that relevant agencies work with the units sharing the infrastructure to find solutions. As for the city, efforts will be made to bury power lines underground in new road systems, similar to what was done on Namyangju Dasan Road, which was inaugurated in March 2017.

Regarding the management of apartment buildings and urban areas, Mr. Nguyen Van Lu said that Vinh City currently has 83 apartment buildings, of which 54 are in use, 25 are under construction, and 4 have not yet been built; and 40 urban areas, of which 20 are in use, 17 are under construction, and 3 have not yet been built.

However, according to the Vinh City Party Committee leader, the current difficulty lies in managing household registration and issuing land use certificates in apartment buildings and urban areas. Representative Lu also stated that resolving this situation requires solutions related to the decentralization of state management.

Regarding the progress of the Vinh - Cua Lo Boulevard Project, delegate Nguyen Van Lu said that the authorities are focusing intensely on clearing the land for the section within the city, in order to ensure the project's progress and allow traffic to open around the beginning of next year as planned.

Overview of the voter consultation meeting in Ha Huy Tap ward. Photo: Thanh Duy

In addition, delegate Nguyen Van Lu also informed voters about the socio-economic situation of the city and province, especially the work of revenue collection, attracting investment into industrial zones, difficulties in transforming markets, and allocating capital for infrastructure construction…

Regarding the slow disbursement of funds for the Party branch congresses for the 2017-2020 term, delegate Nguyen Van Lu also stated that the province has completed the assessment and will allocate the funds for disbursement in 2019.