HẢI PHÒNG — Together with Hà Nội and HCM City, the northern port city of Hải Phòng is implementing a campaign to return pavements to the pedestrians.

Leaders of wards’ people’s committees will bear responsibility if pavement encroachment reoccurs, the city’s authorities have said.

Lê Chân District is one of three districts in the city where there is almost no space left on pavements for pedestrians. Clearance of the pavements is, thus, one of the main points in the district’s action plan.

Nguyễn Trọng Đại, head of the district Urban Management Division, said this year all 15 wards in the district have prepared plans on ensuring traffic safety, pavement and road order and environmental protection.

District inspectors will patrol the areas and impose strict penalties on those people encroaching upon roads and pavements for personal purposes, trading or parking. The inspectors have been instructed to destroy illegal billboards and slogans.

Phạm Văn Tân, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee, said the district has assigned enough workers to check every house and warn lawbreakers.

Lê Chân District is also considering installing cameras on several main streets. The video footage will provide actual evidence to the police and inspectors while deciding penalties to be imposed on violators.

Similar actions are being undertaken in the city’s Hồng Bàng District since last week.

Dương Đình Ổn, deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee, said earlier, the district’s inspectors penalised people encroaching upon pavements, but the penalty was not severe enough, so people continue to repeat violations, especially in the Tam Bạc River area.

Hồng Bàng District’s action period is on from March 10 until March 20.

Last month, the district informed residents about the action period, so that they could volunteer to destroy any construction that encroached upon pavements.

As many as 100 people, including district leaders, police and traffic inspectors, are participating in the action period.

Last week, Hà Nội launched a campaign that targets removing illegally parked cars, shops, extended canopies and other obstructions. HCM City began its campaign last month. — VNS