HCM City “forgot” to design construction plans for car parks and public toilets, though it remembered golf courses. Some might say its memory was too good on that head, for concerns about land waste and environmental pollution are being voiced.
One district has three golf courses
Nguyen Minh Hoang, Chief of the Economics-Budget Division of the HCM City People’s Council, on Monday said a report about management of construction planning in HCM City had been finished. The report will be presented at the 14th session of the local People’s Council on December 2, 2008.
According to the HCM City People’s Council, HCM City has a plan to have 13 golf courses. Six have been licenced, namely Hoa-Viet in District 9, which is operational; Sing-Viet in Binh Chanh district and one in Cu Chi, which are in the site clearance phase; Saigon Tourist in District 9, in the phase of having a detailed plan drawn up and compensating for site clearance; Tan Son Nhat Airport golf course in Go Vap district, also in the detailed plan and site clearance phase; and a golf course of the Saigon Investment and Development JS Company in District 2, which has not been implemented yet.
There are two other golf courses which are awaiting agreement in principle: Quyen Thanh-Kumho in District 9 and yet another in Cu Chi district.
Five other golf course projects are being considered, one in Thu Duc district, one in Binh Chanh district, two in Nha Be district and one in Can Gio district.
Notably, District 9 alone has three golf courses which have been or will be constructed. Other districts like Binh Chanh, Nha Be and Cu Chi will also have two golf course projects each if the current projects go through.
According to the HCM City People’s Council, the plan to have 13 golf courses is inappropriate. This would result in land waste and serious pollution of underground water resources. The council suggested that HCM City authorities change the plan by turning golf course projects which have been licenced but not yet built or are in the phase of site clearance into parks, public woods, etc.
Construction plan lacks important works
The supervision report complied by the HCM City People’s Council also identifies some “irregularities” in HCM City’s construction plan. For example, the city has a plan on traffic development till 2020 approved by the Prime Minister but it doesn’t have a construction plan for bus parking lots.
In a recent meeting with officials from the HCM City Department of Planning and Architecture, Huynh Cong Hung, Vice Chief of the Economics-Budget Division under the HCM City People’s Council, commented: “It is funny that HCM City has tried to develop its bus system to encourage more people to use bus services, in order to curb the number of individual vehicles and solve traffic jams, but the city government didn’t remember that buses also need parking lots.”
Without a construction plan for parking lots for buses, these vehicles would have to park at coach stations such as the Mien Dong, Mien Tay, Cho Lon, District 8 coach stations or in parks like Phu Lam, 23/9 or on the street.
According to a resolution of the HCM City People’s Council, 2008 is the year for urban order and civilisation. Accordingly, people are supposed to be receiving heavy fines for urinating in public but the city doesn’t have enough public toilets.
The report also mentions other problems associated with HCM City’s construction plan, including a shortage of factories processing feces and mud from sewers, not enough places to park cars, as well as the absence of a plan to exploit and protect underground water resources.