HCM CITY — Slow disbursement of fund has affected the renovation of dilapidated apartments in HCM City, according to authorities.

An eight-storey building, for example, in District 1’s 23 Lý Tự Trọng Street is one of several buildings that require an immediate action. Built before 1975, it contains 76 households.

Though the building’s structural strength in late 2017 did not meet official standards, it has yet to be dismantled.

Khúc Văn Cường, a resident in the building’s room 4A, told the Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper that 90 per cent of the households have received compensation and resettled elsewhere, while 10 per cent are reluctant to move due to conflicts with authorities on their compensation rate.

Other buildings in disrepair that face similar circumstances include apartments on District 1’s 128 Hai Bà Trưng Street and 155 – 157 Bùi Viện Street; District 3’s 11 Võ Văn Tần Street; District 4’s Trúc Giang, Vĩnh Hội, and Nguyễn Tất Thành Street; District 5’s 440 Trần Hưng Đạo Street; District 6’s 43 Bình Tây Street and 119B Tân Hoà Đông Street; Tân Bình District’s 137, 149 – 151 Lý Thường Kiệt Street, 40/1 Tân Phước Street and 170 – 171 Tân Châu Street.

Apartment reconstruction

HCM City has completed the inspection of 474 dilapidated apartments built before 1975, and has classified and assigned most of the reconstruction projects to district-level authorities.

About 15 apartments are rated at the D-level due to serious damage, 115 apartments are C-level and 332 are B-level. Twelve apartments have already been dismantled or have had their tenants relocate.

Trần Trọng Tuấn, director of HCM City’s Construction Department, said that city authorities had distributed a general guide on proper reconstruction of apartments built before 1975 to all district People’s Committees.

However, due to inefficient planning and slow disbursement of funds for district-level inspection and construction work, People’s Committees in certain districts have not effectively carried out assigned projects, especially those of a large scale.

The construction department said that some dilapidated apartment buildings need to be demolished.

They include apartments on District 3’s Nguyễn Thiện Thuật Street, District 4’s Vĩnh Hội Street, District 5’s Viễn Đông Street, District 10’s Ngô Gia Tự Street and Bình Thạnh District’s Thanh Đa area.

However, as they were classified as B- or C-level, they cannot easily be dismantled and replaced with new buildings.

The department said a new policy should be developed to cover these kinds of buildings. — VNS