The People's Committee of Vinh City addresses the issue raised in the newspaper report.

(Baonghean) - The Nghe An Newspaper, in its May 20, 2013 issue, published an article titled: "Completely resolving the situation of encroachment on sidewalks and roadsides for business and illegal fee collection," reflecting the fact that the encroachment on sidewalks, roadsides, and roadsides for business and trading at markets has not been thoroughly eradicated, which is a prominent issue in urban order management in Vinh City. The situation of some market management boards collecting illegal fees has become an act of complicity in this activity.

After reviewing the content of the newspaper report and conducting a field inspection, on July 4, 2013, the People's Committee of Vinh City sent Official Letter No. 2829/UBND-QLĐT to Nghe An Newspaper as follows:

1. The information reported by Nghe An Newspaper is accurate. Recently, encroachment on roads, sidewalks, and pavements for business purposes has continued in the city, especially around markets. While this encroachment has decreased compared to previous years, it has not been completely eradicated. Furthermore, some market management boards are still illegally collecting fees from businesses that encroach on roads, sidewalks, and pavements.

2. The city has issued numerous directives and organized the implementation of tasks to ensure urban order in the area. Annual plans are developed to ensure traffic safety, urban order, and environmental sanitation. After a period of implementation, the encroachment of businesses on roads, sidewalks, and pavements has significantly decreased compared to before. Several spontaneous markets have been dismantled, and some markets have become more orderly, such as: clearing encroachments on Nguyen Trung Ngan Street by Quan Lau Market; dismantling the spontaneous market under power lines in Block 1, Trung Do Ward; and removing the temporary market on the extended Le Mao Street bordering Vinh Tan and Hong Son wards.

3. From the beginning of 2013 to the present, the City People's Committee has organized two intensive campaigns to clear traffic safety corridors and urban sidewalks simultaneously throughout the city. Following the second campaign, the City People's Committee directed the People's Committees of wards and communes, the City Urban Inspectorate, and the City Police to regularly conduct campaigns to clear traffic safety corridors and maintain efforts to prevent re-encroachment of businesses occupying roads, sidewalks, and pavements. This has significantly reduced the number of encroachments compared to before, particularly on streets such as Phan Dinh Phung, Tran Phu, Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ho Tung Mau, Quang Trung, and Le Loi…

However, the encroachment of sidewalks, roads, and street lanes for business and trading activities on the streets is still widespread, especially in market areas, causing traffic safety and urban order disruptions and posing potential food safety and hygiene risks, particularly in markets such as Ben Thuy, Cua Bac, Hung Dung, Nghi Phu afternoon market, Cau Kenh Bac market, Vinh market, and Quang Trung market. Furthermore, some market management boards arbitrarily collect fees illegally, affecting the management work of the authorities.

To further rectify the above situation, the City People's Committee requests that agencies and units strictly implement Directive No. 05/CT-Th.U dated August 25, 2011, of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee; Plan No. 58/KH-UBND dated April 1, 2013, of the City People's Committee on the implementation of traffic safety, urban order, and environmental sanitation work in 2013 in Vinh City; Official Letter No. 3935/UBND-QLĐT dated November 10, 2012, of the City People's Committee on prohibiting the sale of food on the road, sidewalk, and pavement of roads in the city; and Official Letter No. 1801/UBND-QLĐT dated May 9, 2013, of the City People's Committee on rectifying the management of traffic safety and urban order in the city.

Most recently, following a report in Nghe An Newspaper on June 28, 2013, the Vinh City People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 2735/UBND-QLĐT regarding the handling of encroachment on roads and sidewalks for business purposes and illegal fee collection. Accordingly, to rectify this situation, the City People's Committee directed:

- People's Committees of wards and communes; City Police; City Urban Inspectorate: Assign the People's Committees of wards and communes to take the lead in coordinating with the City Police and City Urban Inspectorate to inspect, penalize, and expel illegal business activities on all roads in the city, especially in market areas.

- The management boards of markets in the city are responsible for allocating and arranging positions for traders who wish to sell the aforementioned goods in their markets.

- Market management boards are strictly prohibited from collecting fees illegally in any form from businesses operating on the road, sidewalk, and pavement areas surrounding the markets. The City Economic Department is tasked with leading and coordinating with relevant city departments to establish an inspection team to investigate illegal fee collection and report to the City People's Committee for appropriate action. The inspection must be completed by the third quarter of 2013.

- Heads of inspection teams for illegal fresh food and clothing businesses: Continue to effectively inspect the situation of illegal fresh food and clothing businesses on roadsides and sidewalks in the city according to the content of Decision No. 7578/QD-UBND dated December 25, 2012. Completion time: Q3/2013.

The People's Committees of wards and communes, the City Urban Inspectorate, the City Police, relevant departments, and the Head of the Inspection Team are requested to strictly implement the directives and report the results to the City People's Committee for further guidance.

Vinh City People's Committee