Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai rectifies the new sidewalk order

The Vice Chairman of District 1 went to inspect the sidewalk re-occupation situation alone. When he discovered something, he would call the ward to handle it. Photos and violation reports would be sent to him.

On August 23, Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai - Vice Chairman of District 1 People's Committee (HCMC) - said thatRecently, he has applied a new inspection method to restore order on the sidewalks. Before going to work at the headquarters or at night, he runs around all the roads in the area,detected violations willCall the leaders and police to handle it.

“The ward will send me the fine notice and photos of the violations during the day for checking, to avoid overlooking any violations. I will go regularly, whether it is 5:30 a.m. or after 10 p.m. to ensure that the sidewalks of District 1 are not occupied,” Mr. Hai said.

Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai during the time he fined a restaurant for occupying the sidewalk. Photo: Duy Tran.

Besides,Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai still goes with the interdisciplinary team to the streets to deal with problems and unsightly urban gathering places that make people angry.

According to his assessment, since the district’s interdisciplinary team returned to action, downtown Saigon’s sidewalks have returned to order. “I closely monitor the places that often encroach on sidewalks, but recently they have been complying well, and the wards have also been handling them regularly,” said Mr. Hai.

Regarding the nearly 1,000 square meter parking lot behind the City Theater that has been closed for more than two months due to the expiration of its permit, Mr. Doan Ngoc Hai said the district is holding a meeting to propose that the city build a 6-story underground parking lot nearby to serve the needs of the people.Old parking areawill be renovated into a park to beautify the city.

"For licensed parking lots on sidewalks, those that do well will continue to have their term extended. Those that are messy and sloppy, affecting the appearance of the central area and district,"I will resolutely recover," Mr. Hai said.

Police fined a car for occupying the sidewalk. Photo: Duy Tran.

During the return to the streets after a 4-month hiatus, the District 1 interdisciplinary team dealt with more than 100 cars parked on the sidewalk. Among them were blue-plate cars, luxury cars... Many restaurants and pubs that were previously fined by Mr. Hai and now re-occupied were dealt with again. For repeat violations, the district considered revoking their business licenses.

The campaign to restore order on sidewalks and roadsides, which first started in District 1, was highly appreciated by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and expanded throughout the city. Other provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Dong Nai, Da Nang, etc. also responded and took drastic action.

According to VNE