Authorities handle an illegal parking car in HCM City. — Photo thanhnien.vn

HCM CITY – Many roads and pavements in HCM City have again been encroached by illegal parking areas and street vendors after city authorities halted their campaign to clear the pavements four months ago.

On many streets, including Nguyễn Thái Bình, Phó Đức Chính, Nguyễn Huệ, Nguyễn Trãi, Hai Bà Trưng, parking violations are rampant, occupying most of the pavements and forcing pedestrians to walk on the roads.

On Nguyễn Du Street, the pavement on both sides has been taken over by street vendors from early morning to late at night. Many coffee shops have put tables and chairs out to attract and accommodate customers, leaving no space for pedestrians.

The situation is no better on Đông Du, Tôn Thất Đạm, and Huỳnh Thúc Kháng streets. In the area around HCM City’s Fine Arts Museum in Nguyễn Thái Bình Ward, street vendors are out in full force, despite the ban.

Đoàn Ngọc Hải, vice chairman of District 1’s People’s Committee said that the encroachment was even worse four months after the inspection teams paused their pavement clearing drive.

On Monday evening, Hải said he, along with the district’s interdisciplinary inspection team, conducted a raid on pavement encroachment on Hoàng Sa, Hai Bà Trưng, Lý Tự Trọng, Nguyễn Thái Học, Võ Văn Kiệt, Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa streets.

Hải said cars were parking illegally along the streets and pavements of District 1 regardless of warning signs that have been placed in trouble spots. The result was chaos, making it almost impossible for pedestrians to walk along the road.

Some streets that had been cleared months ago by the inspection teams were now in a worse state than before.

Hải said he proposed the heaviest fines for re-offenders.

He said ten wards of the district seemed to be too lenient, affirming that the inspection teams would tighten up control on all streets regularly until the city’s voters are satisfied with the results.

“The pavements of the district must be for pedestrians,” he said.

Trần Thế Thuận, chairman of the committee said that apart from efforts to clear the pavements by authorised agencies, social measures such as allocating areas for street vendors and parking lots for vehicles should be carried out.

Police should be on duty at 13 bridges connecting the suburban areas to the inner city to stop street vendors entering downtown.

Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Nguyễn Thành Phong has asked the district to solve the problem comprehensively and to avoid pavement re-encroachment.

More importantly, local authorities at the grass-root levels should get support from residents in curbing the illegal encroachment of pavements, he added.

Figures from the District 1’s People’s Committee showed that in the first seven months of this year, the committee has spent more than VNĐ800 million (US$35,200) on raids to clear pavements and fined violators more than VNĐ3.3 billion ($145,200). – VNS