HCM City (VNA) - Beginningnext year, districts will be responsible for managing parks and trees, and theHo Chi Minh City People’s Committee will invite competitive bids from thedistricts to explain how they would maintain green spaces.  

It is one of new policies of the HCM Cityauthorities starting at the beginning of 2018, the Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaperreported.

Currently, the parks and trees are managedby the HCM City Parks and Greenery One Member Co Ltd. The municipal authoritieswant to improve the quality of work on the public greenspaces and believe thatdividing the work among a larger number of players will improve oversight for eachpark, according to the paper.

Typically, the HCM City People’s Committeeassigned the District 1 People’s Committee to manage the Bach Dang Port, 23/9and 30/4 parks. Earlier the district people’s committee had a plan to turn the BachDang Port Park into a market every weekend to serve local residents andtourists.

Twelve districts will join the biddingprocess, including District 2, 7, 9, 12, Tan Phu, Tan Binh, Thu Duc and Can Gio.

The Tao Dan, Gia Dinh and Le Van Tam districtswill temporarily not join the tender to prepare for the Tet (Lunar New Year)flower festival this year. The three parks will join the tender in thebeginning of April.

Quang Van Hoa, a resident who lives in Ward10, District 4 and often goes to the 23/9 Park, said that a park should be aplace that everybody, rich and poor alike, could enjoy during their leisuretime.

He proposed setting up a more airy, quietatmosphere and space with lots of green trees in the park.

Nguyen Thi Bach Van lives in District 1 andhas gone to the Tao Dan Park for morning exercises for the past 20 years.

However, she said she felt quite afraidbecause no management organisation kept close watch on security and safety inthe park. Sometimes rotten tree branches fell down into people below.

Van said that safety at the park should beconsidered the most important thing.

Hoang Kim Giang, an architect, said thatthe most attractive aspect of a park was a friendly atmosphere for people.

Earlier, the municipal authoritiesdestroyed fences in the park to create a more friendly atmosphere.

Trinh Kiem, an official of the VietnamParks and Green Trees Association, agreed to organise the bidding process tochoose organisations to take care of parks and green trees.

 Buthe proposed that managing ancient trees should be assigned to organisationswith much experience, because they not only affect the landscape, but alsoresidents’ safety. - VNA