HCM CITY — HCM City authorities report positive results on several fronts four months after the government resolution that gave the city more control over its governance was approved by the National Assembly.

Among the notable improvements was approval by the city’s People’s Council to increase civil servants’ salaries.

Beginning in early April, administrative agencies assessed the work of all civil servants in the city and decided to pay them higher wages, depending on each individual’s assessment.

The city said it would increase their annual income by around 0.6 times this year, and pledged to increase civil servants’ salaries by 1.8 times by 2020

The city’s People Council has also approved the total number of 12,345 civil servants working at administrative agencies in HCM City this year.

Experts and scientists with experience and promising research projects have been hired to work at state and administrative agencies.

Together with salary reform, the city authorities approved new parking fees for cars on streets. Beginning June 1, drivers must pay VNĐ40,000 (US$1.8) per hour to park their cars on streets, far more than the current VNĐ5,000 per hour.

The chairwoman of the city’s People’s Council, Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm, said that human resource mobilisation, salary reform, and parking fee increases would all contribute to the city’s strategic development vision and pave the way for the city to solve bigger issues.

Tâm said better pay would encourage civil servants to work harder and more effectively, while higher parking fees would foster an awareness of the need to keep orderly streets and pavements.

New infrastructure

As for infrastructure improvement, Group A projects with investment from the city’s State budget will be given priority.

In March, the city’s People’s Council issued a resolution on investments to build a multi-purpose playhouse of Phú Thọ.

It also approved site clearance compensation and resettlement of households to make way for the Rạch Chiếc Sport Complex (to be used for the 31^st SEA Games in 2021), with total investment of VNĐ9,495 billion (nearly $420 million).

The city has also created favourable conditions to build urban areas in districts 2, 9 and Thủ Đức that would facilitate its “smart city” development.

The director of HCM City Department of Transport, Bùi Xuân Cường, said the department would complete major transportation projects this year in an aim to solve traffic problems facing the city.

These include projects in the eastern part of the city such as the HCM City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây Expressway; Beltway No 2 (from Phú Hữu Bridge to Gò Dưa, Mỹ Thuỷ and An Phúc intersections); the second Thủ Thiêm Bridge; four roads around Thủ Thiêm Urban Area and Mỹ Thuỷ Roundabout; and works to solve traffic problems on roads to Cát Lái Port.

Between 2018 and 2020, the city’s transport department will continue to expand infrastructure in the city’s eastern section, including widening of Nguyễn Duy Trinh Street, the building of a new road to connect Phú Hữu Bridge with Hà Nội Highway, and a road to link Cát Lái Port to Beltway No 2.

A stretch of Nguyễn Thị Định Street from Giồng Ông Tố Bridge to Mỹ Thuỷ Bridge will also be implemented.

These huge infrastructure projects are expected to attract investors from around the world to the eastern section of the city.

Trần Hoàng Quân, chairman of the District 4 People’s Committee, said the district, along with relocating Nhà Rồng-Khánh Hội Port, would widen Nguyễn Tất Thành to 40m.

When completed, the project will help connect the city’s downtown area with districts in the southern area of the city and other provinces and cities in the southwestern region.

District 4 has also undertaken other major infrastructure projects such as the widening of Tôn Thất Thuyết Street and construction of parks along the Tẻ Canal, together with efforts to resettle households living in slums along the canals.

It will build a new section of Nguyễn Khoái Street, and plans to build a new Trần Đình Xu Bridge to connect District 4 with District 1.

The district also plans to build the Nguyễn Khoái Bridge, which would connect District 4 with District 7. — VNS