Construction inspector detained and consequences of urban destruction and broken planning

The Ministry of Construction’s inspection team in Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province, has just been charged by the Vinh Phuc provincial police for extorting money; some members of the team have been detained for investigation for allegedly demanding “tens of billions of dong” in bribes. This is shocking and ironic news.

How ironic that the officials who hold the scales of justice are the ones accused of blaspheming justice. Those who hold the law in their hands and carry out their duties become corrupt and extortionate while carrying out their duties.

The resolute action against corruption by the police and authorities at all levels, and functional agencies of Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province is truly commendable. The Prime Minister has requested the Ministry of Public Security to direct the Vinh Phuc provincial police and functional units to urgently verify and investigate the case to "strictly handle" it according to the provisions of the law. The Minister of Construction also affirmed that the Ministry's attitude is to direct "resolute handling, not covering up or condoning" any individual who violates the law. These are very timely actions.

Daily urban congestion leaves serious consequences. Photo: Zing

In 2019, the Ministry of Construction Inspectorate conducted 90 inspections in the following areas: planning and planning management; transport works and projects; agriculture and rural development; real estate investment and business activities; and anti-corruption. How many cases of detected violations have been announced?

Just inspecting a few district-level projects, they already asked for hundreds of millions of dong in co-payments. How much co-payments are required at the national level? And once co-payments are received, how serious are the violations in construction and planning?

Although it is known that the situation of extortion and bribery in inspection and examination has existed for a long time and is common at all levels, in all sectors and in all fields, this is one of the rare cases that the police have recorded.

The reason why bribery in inspections, examinations, and audits is rarely exposed is because most of the legal entities being inspected and examined are very "reasonable" and voluntarily bribe the inspectors, rarely allowing the officials to suggest and then having a record made as in Vinh Tuong.

That may be the reason why Vinashin, Vinalines, Vietnam Oil and Gas, Vietnam Chemicals and many other enterprises, agencies and units are inspected and audited every year and all have very good assessments and comments before the loss and corruption stories are exposed. Surely the inspectors have always received "Thank you" from the host.

Only when major corruption cases are exposed and cause damage to the State of thousands of billions, tens of thousands of billions of dong, can we see the true nature of those "very good" comments.

What is unusual is that when investigating and trying major corruption cases, the authorities and law enforcement agencies never mention the violations of the inspection and examination teams in tolerating and covering up corruption. This is one of the reasons that contributes to making the problem of corruption increasingly serious.

Back to the field of construction inspection and urban planning. It can be affirmed that construction inspectors have participated in destroying urban planning. Because, in some other fields, it may take time and difficulty to find and point out violations, but in the field of urban planning, ordinary people can also know whether the planning has been adjusted or distorted.

It was the construction inspectors who condoned and colluded with investors to destroy urban planning.

In key cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are no less than dozens of ministerial-level inspection teams coming to inspect every year. Yet the planning of the two largest cities in the country is increasingly being torn apart, many areas no longer have a space to live properly but are rarely discovered by inspection teams.

Is it true that the partners including investors, local authorities at all levels and construction inspectors have agreed on a price and paid it all, so that the new urban planning has led to such unforeseen consequences?

If we look at it comprehensively and thoroughly, the consequences of the destruction of urban planning are many times greater than any major economic scandal of the largest kind ever discovered in Vietnam.

Regarding economic losses, nationwide, those who collude to sabotage urban planning earn hundreds of thousands of billions of dong. But that is not the biggest economic loss, but the biggest loss is traffic congestion, which destroys the development space for the future.

Every day, people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City spend an extra 1-2 hours struggling on congested roads. With tens of millions of people from generation to generation, that amount of money will be a huge number.

Not only that, the State has spent an unknown amount of money to widen roads, build overpasses and elevated roads, and construct flood control works for these two cities. For example, the Hoang Cau - Voi Phuc Ring Road Project (Hanoi), with a length of 2.2 km, will start construction in the third quarter of 2019. With a total investment of nearly 8,000 billion VND, this will be the most expensive road on the planet to date.

These temporary solutions do not significantly improve the situation, traffic jams will continue to occur when the overall planning is broken.

Politically and socially, the destruction of urban planning not only seriously affects the lives and health of tens of millions of people in today's generation but also affects many future generations.

People not only lose faith but are also pushed into a state of suffocation, frustration and indignation. This will be a great risk to political and social security.

With such serious consequences, not only individuals but certainly people across the country share the same wish, the highest authorities need to investigate to find out who has destroyed the planning of Hanoi Capital, Ho Chi Minh City and other large cities.