2 agencies, 2 locations are nearly 10km apart
After the merger of administrative units, many communes in Lang Son province, especially border areas, are facing many difficulties in terms of working headquarters, facilities and organizational structure.
However, the local staff and civil servants are still trying to overcome the situation, determined not to interrupt management and service to the people.
In Hoang Van Thu commune, the headquarters of the People's Committee of the commune is located at the old location of the People's Committee of Tan My commune, next to National Highway 4A - the main route connecting Lang Son - Cao Bang. However, the headquarters of the Commune Party Committee is located in Thuan Loi village, in the old Hoang Van Thu commune, nearly 10 km from the Commune People's Committee.
Many newly formed communes and wards have to temporarily use old headquarters or divide agencies into many locations, causing inconvenience in directing operations and receiving people.
Many cadres have to work in many positions, constantly moving between locations far apart to solve work, especially in mountainous communes with complex transportation.
"At first, we were also surprised by the change of area, the workload increased. But determining that this is an important political task, the brothers encouraged each other to work overtime, stay close to the people, and promptly resolve procedures so that people would not be affected," said an office worker in Hoang Van Thu commune.
A similar situation also occurred in Cong Son commune, when the headquarters of the Commune Party Committee was located in Ban Luan village, Hoa Cu commune (old), while the Commune People's Committee was in Tong Rien village, Hai Yen commune (old), 5 km apart.
Ms. Hoang Hai Yen - Deputy Secretary of the Cong Son Commune Party Committee - shared: "The 5 km distance really causes many obstacles in traveling, exchanging work, and transferring documents. However, thanks to the application of digital technology, many processing steps are faster than before".
Flexible to avoid interruption of operations
In Quan Son commune - formed from the merger of Quan Son commune and Huu Kien commune (old), Chi Lang district - cadres and civil servants currently have to temporarily borrow Quan Son Primary and Secondary School as a workplace.
"We have to borrow classrooms to make offices for officers and civil servants. Fortunately, at this time the children are on a summer vacation, said Mr. Hoang Duc Binh - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quan Son commune.
However, Mr. Binh admitted that this is only a temporary solution. When the new school year begins, students return to school, this option will no longer be feasible.
Mr. Duong Xuan Huyen - Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee - said that not only Lang Son but many other mountainous provinces also have difficulty in arranging headquarters after the merger. In the immediate future, the province will take advantage of the old headquarters of the communes as a temporary workplace, ensuring the maintenance of government operations.
Ms. Nguyen Anh Yen - Deputy Director of the Department of Finance of Lang Son province - informed: "Given the characteristics of the mountainous terrain, the arrangement of the headquarters of the Party Committee, People's Committee, and People's Council at the same location faces many obstacles. In the immediate future, the Provincial People's Committee directs communes to use schools, boarding houses or health stations as offices for cadres and civil servants."
According to Ms. Yen, despite many problems, the new communes are still flexibly handling them so as not to interrupt operations.
Currently, according to the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch, Lang Son is reviewing the needs for investment in facilities in communes, including them in the investment plan for the construction of new or repair of headquarters, ensuring stable operations for communes after the merger, said Ms. Yen.
