Motorbikes not allowed to park on apartment building’s first floor and policy of banning these things that government cannot control
After the mini apartment fire in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi, killing 56 and injuring 37 victims, many buildings, mini apartments, and rented houses in Hanoi and some localities have requested tenants to move all motorbikes and electric bicycles out of the first floor of the facilities.
It seems that the Thanh Xuan district government (Hanoi) is confused with how to prevent further fires from occurring. At the meeting of the City Party Committee with the districts on the afternoon of September 21, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Thanh Xuan district – Vo Dang Dung – said that the district has asked tenants in the district to relocate their motorbikes and electric bicycles on the first floor of mini apartments and multi-apartment motels, go elsewhere. Mr. Vo Dang Dung said: “If they move all, it’s good, if not, it must be 70 – 80%” and explained “statistics show that 90% of fires occur on the first floor due to short circuits or short circuits of motorbike battery.”
But Mr. Dung did not mention where people would move their vehicles. That has caused many people to complain that this regulation will make their lives difficult and chaotic. In particular, people have to spend money to park their cars outside, and they don’t even know where to park them.
Tuoi Tre newspaper said, “…commenting on this statement of the Chairman of Thanh Xuan district, most readers objected, they asked the question, where should they send their motorbikes and electric vehicles if they are not allowed to park their vehicles in the basement or first floor of the building they rent?”
Reader Nong Van Tuan blamed: “A thought that is too negative and deadlocked. If they can’t find a solution, it’s forbidden. We do the easy things, but the people will endure the difficult things.”
Reader Hai was harsh: “Why haven’t you given any guidance before? Only after losing the cows do you have to worry about building a barn!”.
A recent National Assembly member also made a similar proposal, “don’t park your car in apartment basements.” According to Tuoi Tre newspaper on September 23, faced with the situation of many serious fires occurring in apartment buildings recently, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Ngoc Phuong (Quang Binh), proposed that the National Assembly add to the law regulations that do not allow tenants to park their vehicles in the basement of an apartment or hotel.
Accordingly, discussing the fire prevention supervision report for the period 2014 – 2018, legislator Nguyen Ngoc Phuong proposed that in the Construction Law there should be regulations that high-rise apartments and hotels should not use basements for vehicle parking. And when building apartment complexes in the future, private parking should be built, not park in the basement. However, this is only a proposal for future lawmaking.
Public opinion feels that it is also necessary to sympathize with the requests from the owners of boarding houses and mini-apartments to prohibit tenants from bringing electric motorbikes and electric bicycles in the basement or first floor. Because from the perspective of business people, they want to find ways to ensure safety and protect assets.
But the proposal of the Chairman of Thanh Xuan district, representing the state management agency, is an irresponsible and impossible proposal. The problem is, if it is banned, where will motorbikes and electric vehicles be sent, if not allowed to be stored in the basement or first floor of the building that people rent?
Faced with public opposition, in order to easy the question, at noon on September 22, VnExpress quoted Ms. Bui Huyen Mai, Secretary of Thanh Xuan District, as saying that the statement of the Chairman of Thanh Xuan District may have “not been made clear” and that “is not the district’s policy.”
Ms. Mai responded to the press that the district is currently only advising people, not forcing or forcing people to move motorbikes and electric cars out of their places of residence!
Public opinion sees that, even if it is mandatory, Thanh Xuan district cannot enforce it. Because in reality, there is no place to park private vehicles overnight next to affordable or mini apartments. Meanwhile, with the current public transportation system in Vietnam, it is impossible to ban people from using motorbikes.
Why does the Vietnamese government not use regular inspection and control measures, and thoroughly apply fire prevention and fighting regulations? Absolutely no concessions, if you do not meet the conditions, you will definitely not issue a business license.
Clearly, the story just told shows a dangerous mindset of current Vietnamese state officials. If they cannot control something, they should ban it and push the responsibility to the people to solve it themselves. But they do not understand that, in a state ruled by law, state officials can only do what the law allows. And vice versa, people have the right to do all things not prohibited by law.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
