The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has clarified what has been achieved since the capital administration came into office under the leadership of Governor Chadchart Sittipunt. It also shed light on policies promised during the gubernatorial campaign that has since been implemented.
BMA Spokesperson Ekwaranyu Amrapan said the Bangkok governor’s live streams on Facebook have allowed the public to see the nature of his work and the problems at hand. The streams also frequently result in problems being resolved immediately without needing further orders from the governor. 4 urgent policies have already been implemented during the first 30 days of the new City Hall administration coming into office. Addressing the city’s flood problems is the first of said policies, for which 2,387 km of sewers have already been dredged. This amounts to 70.4% of the targeted distance, with about two months remaining. The BMA expects the work to be completed in line with set targets.
The second urgent policy concerns road safety and crosswalks. Ekwaranyu said crossing signal and warning lights will be installed at 80 crosswalk spots. The BMA is also working to quickly repaint faded zebra crossings. Other works relating to this policy include improving the road surface and reclaiming areas that temporarily hosted construction sites. Additionally, the BMA has discussed removing unused overhead cables in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. A target has now been set to remove 800 km worth of unused cables in the first year.
The third policy involves allocating space for streetside sellers and hawkers and the creation of hawker centers. City Hall is also reducing rent at 12 BMA-run markets by 50% for 3 months. The interest rate at BMA-run pawnshops has also been reduced.
The fourth urgent policy concerns the expanded stations of the Green Line rapid transit service. Fares will be collected from August onward, with the Bangkok governor favoring the disclosure of the concession agreement so the public can be informed. He noted that disclosure would also allow for determining the appropriate compensation rate for the service operator.
The spokesperson said the Bangkok governor is emphasizing transparency, disclosure and inspection of work. City Hall’s draft 79-billion-baht budget is being considered by the Bangkok Council and is available for public review at the official.bangkok.go.th website.
Spokesperson Ekwaranyu added that the Traffy Fondue mobile application is an example of City Hall’s effort to improve inter-agency collaboration, noting that about 60,000 reports or complaints have already been submitted from the public. (NNT)
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