Land transfer problem hinders HCM City public toilet project

Last October, HCM City People's Committee had to send an official document and asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Tien Phong Environmental Technology JSC to work together to get the project done quickly.

District 3 will be where the pilot project starts. At first, Tien Phong Environmental Technology JSC will install nine free public toilets. "We have agreed to let Tien Phong carry out advertising at the toilets to recoup their investment and management fees," said Tran Thanh Binh, vice chairman of District 3.

Tien Phong has proposed combining ATM machines with public toilets. When the place is turned into electricity, water and telephone payment station, they can earn maintenance and operational fees. The company aims to build 500 public toilets that use solar power.

However, Tien Phong Environmental Technology JSC Chairman Nguyen Xuan Sang said the project was three years behind schedule because of problems in the land transfer process.

Sang said, "According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, this is public land so they must hold a bidding process but nothing has been done since then. We have the capital but the land plots haven't been transferred to us yet and we haven't received feedback from the department."

He went on to say that since each public toilet only covers several dozen square metres and can be relocated at any time, they should not be in the same category as other public constructions.

"Moreover, these public toilets are built to benefit the community, not a commercial project," he said. Dtinews