Unsafe City flats to come down

August 12, 2016 - 11:00

HCM City is expected to demolish up to half of all apartment buildings that are in disrepair by 2020, according to Lê Văn Khoa, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee.

Apartment building at 727 Trần Hưng Đạo in HCM City’s District 5. It is expected to be demolished under a new city plan. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải
Viet Nam News

HCM CITY — HCM City is expected to demolish up to half of all apartment buildings that are in disrepair by 2020, according to Lê Văn Khoa, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee.

Speaking at a meeting held last week, Khoa said the city’s Department of Construction would complete assessments of the condition of the 474 buildings by the end of the year.

About 27,000 households live in the buildings, most of which were built in the 1960s. Of the 474 buildings, 106 are in serious disrepair.

The 727 Trần Hưng Đạo apartment building in District 5, for example, as well as the Cô Giang apartment building in District 1 and the blocks 4 and 6 of the Thanh Đa apartment building in Bình Thạnh District are in danger of collapse.

After the assessments are completed by the Construction Department, the city will have the right to choose the contractors to do the demolition work. The Prime Minister gave the city permission to choose contractors instead of going through a timely bidding process.  

District authorities will be responsible for choosing the contractors if buildings to be demolished are located in their areas.  

Since 2006, the city has demolished 32 dilapidated apartment buildings, which had housed a total of 4,000 families and had a combined floor area of 204,000 sq. metres. — VNS

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