An unauthorised construction works in HCM City is impeded by local inspection team  – Photo thoibaonganhang.vn

HCM CITY — HCM City has sought the Government’s approval to set up a team in each district to manage urban construction comprising inspectors and urban development officials.

According to a report by the city Department of Construction, there were some 15,000 instances of violation of construction regulations between 2014 and 2019, including more than 8,500 cases of unauthorised construction.

It is difficult to completely prevent unlicensed and illegal construction works due to inconsistent regulations, Lê Minh Đức, the vice-captain of the Bình Thạnh District inspection team, admitted.

For instance, district People's Committees are not tasked with monitoring or penalising illegal constructions, and two different agencies manage urban construction and the environment but lack clear instructions from city authorities, leading to a lack of efficiency, he explained.

The city People's Committee has therefore sought approval to set up the team to manage urban construction directly under district administrations.

With the city gradually transforming the administration model, experts said the team’s remit is to grant construction permits, supervise construction works and plan projects but also assist in other areas like social order and sanitation.

The People's Committee wants the team to inspect, detect, prevent, and handle construction violations that do not fall under the authority of the Department of Construction or industrial park and export processing zones management.

The Government has approved the proposal in principle, but Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has instructed HCM City to get the opinion of the Ministry of Home Affairs. — VNS