Ministry vows to curb city centre high-rises

The Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung said that they would have strict measures to limit the construction of high-rise buildings in the centre of Hanoi and HCM City.

The Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung said on May 23 that they would have strict measures to limit the construction of high-rise buildings in the centre of Hanoi and HCM City.

  

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Tran Quoc Thai, deputy director of Urban Development Agency, said the Ministry of Construction was reviewing the national urban planning and would submit a report to the prime minister by the end of the year. In the past recent years, Hanoi and HCM City have experienced unbalanced development as most projects are located in the centre. They have to better control the urban development plan in order to reduce congestion on ring roads.

Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung said reducing the number of high-rise constructions to ease the population density and congestion was not a new issue. Many solutions had been proposed including building more satellite urban areas and moving schools and hospitals to the suburbs.

"We have solutions. The next step is determined and strict implementation," he said.

The Government Office recently urged the Ministry of Transport and related agencies to follow the prime ministerial directives and report about the results of 10 years of implementing Resolution 16 on reducing traffic jams in Hanoi and HCM City.

The Ministry of Transport was asked to work with local authorities to draft a new resolution and submit to the prime minister by June 30. The density of high-rise buildings, job opportunities, traffic management and punishments for violators must all be addressed.