Replan!

(Baonghean) - For a long time, we've heard that many things in our country are developing haphazardly and without organization, leading to an overabundance of some things and a shortage of others...

But that's not actually the case, at least not in terms of policy. Almost everything is included in the planning. So much so that, on September 16th, when presenting the draft Law on Planning to the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment exclaimed: "We have made a huge mistake by having so many plans, even plans for catfish farming, plans for tilapia farming…"

Illustration photo: Internet

Of course, in order to develop in a systematic, orderly, and structured manner, ensuring harmony and sustainability, planning is absolutely essential.

The fundamental difference here is whether the planning is for scientific and proper development, or whether it's for reserving space, creating a system of favoritism and constantly disrupting the plan, leading to many negative consequences.

Recalling the bitter lessons learned from the planning of the sugar industry, which has left consequences that remain unresolved to this day; or the inflation of deep-water port development, which is placing a burden on some localities.

There are some areas included in planning but then fail to develop, thus becoming essentially "concentrated" areas. Another factor contributing to the abundance of planning in our country, yet its ineffectiveness, is that each sector and locality has its own separate plan. This leads to a situation where there are too many low-quality plans that are overlapping, fragmented, localized, lacking coordination, contradictory, and cause resource waste while hindering development; especially leading to distorted development.

This reality is clearly evident in urban development planning in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City... Narrow roads, high population density, traffic congestion, and instead of focusing on expanding towards the suburbs, high-rise apartment buildings that mechanically increase population density should absolutely not be built.

There are urban planning regulations and bans on building high-rises in the inner city, yet apartment buildings continue to spring up in increasing numbers, each one taller than the last.

Even in the most sacred and revered place, the Ba Dinh area in the capital, which is considered impenetrable, people have brazenly violated the planning regulations to erect a high-rise building that threatens security and damages the most sacred place in the country. Then there are golf courses, steel factories…

This illustrates that whether or not urban planning has been effective in our country over the past period is not very important, because there is always the potential to disrupt it according to someone's subjective wishes. And planning becomes a kind of power or a privilege to be bestowed.

Therefore, the planning needs to be adjusted. Areas and tasks that are important and have a broad national impact should be considered and included in the plan.

As for other ordinary things, let life and the market decide, and everything must develop according to the demands of the market, not according to administrative orders from planning authorities. In short, planning needs to be revised through a Planning Law.

Duy Huong