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Planning has played an important role in the new countryside construction and served as a prerequisite for implementing 19 criteria to positive and comprehensive changes for rural areas. So far, all of the communes in Hanoi have closely coordinated with consultant units to soon complete the new countryside construction planning.

Me Linh is the first district in Hanoi completing the new countryside construction planning at the commune level. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Chairman of Me Linh District People’s Committee said that the district recently announced and handed over the commune planning schemes of 13 out of 16 communes. For the three communes of Me Linh, Dai Thinh and Tien Phong that are under the urban planning project, the district has submitted them to the city’s authority. 

Leaders of Me Linh District in Hanoi evaluate the rationality of the commune planning in the new countryside construction.

ACUD Designing Consulting and Construction Investment Joint-Stock Company is the consulting unit for the planning of Lien Mac Commune in Me Linh, Hanoi.

Tan Minh Investment Joint-Stock Company is a consultant for commune planning in the new countryside construction in Me Linh District, Hanoi.

In early July, 2012, the Hanoi authority approved the planning of 90 out of 401 communes. 

To make the new countryside construction planning for communes effective, the district instructed that each consultant unit only helped 3 or 4 communes that are near each other. This created favourable conditions for these consultant units to make inter-regional surveys and research the infrastructure connectivity between communes. The district synchronously did the planning and considered it a premise and a crucial orientation for rural development, new countryside construction and step by step improvement for the living standards of local farmers. In its planning scheme, Me Dinh District clearly defines the arrangement of functional spaces and areas for production, administrative headquarters and units, public works, cultural and historical relics and a network of residential areas. 

According to Hoang Thanh Van, Director of Hanoi Department of Rural and Agricultural Development and Deputy Head of the Steering Board of the Programme No.02-CTr/Tu, to implement successfully the commune planning in Me Linh in particular and Hanoi in general, the authorities should firstly implement the work of popularization and actively supervise and speed up the process of implementation. Most importantly, the authorities must have a thorough grasp of the planning of the city. Until early July 2012, Hanoi approved the planning of 90 out of 401 communes, completed the assessment and were completing the procedures to approve the planning of 97 out of 401 communes. The remaining communes were under the process of collecting opinions of people before submitting suggestions to the relevant bodies.

After two years of deployment, the planning for communes in many districts in Hanoi has not met the requirement of the Steering Board of Programme No.02-CTr/Tu. One of the main reasons is that Hanoi lacks a staff of professional planning cadres at the grassroots level. Many districts hire consultant units to do the planning that causes an issue that the planning projects only focus on socio-economic infrastructure and do not include clear strategies for production development in each commune.

The work of planning plays a very important role in implementing 19 criteria of the new countryside construction.

The planning schemes of the new countryside construction must clearly define the functional space for production.

The most difficult part of commune planning in the new countryside construction is planning for production areas.

In its planning scheme, Me Linh District takes into account keeping the traditional flower growing area.

To accelerate the progress of planning, Hanoi has devised policies on supporting expenditure for each commune and defined that the planning must be carried out in advance to create an impetus for implementing the following criteria. The local people are allowed to discuss and come to a consensus before hiring consultant units to complete procedures for approval that help resolve the issue that some communes totally depend on consultant units, contractors and support from the district’s relevant bodies. 

Hanoi has set a target of all districts and towns completing the commune planning for 60% of communes in the third quarter of 2012 and completing the planning of all 401 communes in the last quarter of this year. From now to the end of 2012, it will concentrate on instructions to complete the new countryside construction in 19 pilot communes. 

Thu Hang – Photo: Ngoc Ky