A section of the Nhieu Loc — Thi Nghe Canal in Phu Nhuan District, HCM City. Fostering urban development is one of seven programmes set up to improve the quality of human resources in the city in 2016. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

HCM CITY  (Biz Hub) — The HCM City People's Committee is set to streamline its functioning and become transparent in its decision-making.

Vo Van Hoan, chief of the People's Committee's secretariat, told a press conference on Monday that a media room would be set up at the committee office.

Every meeting room in the office would have a camera and reporters in the media room would be able to watch discussions between authorities, he said.

The media room would also have an information kiosk for reporters and a spokesperson to answer questions from correspondents.

"The media room will be opened at the end of this month."

Other efforts by the new administration that took over this month will include seven programmes to improve the quality of human resources; continue with administrative reforms; improve the city's economic competitiveness and growth quality; ease the traffic congestion and reduce accidents; deal with climate change, rising sea and floods; address environmental pollution; and foster urban development.

There will be a meeting each with local and foreign companies held this month to resolve problems they may have.

"Administrative reforms will be undertaken seriously. City authorities will delegate more powers to districts and departments to implement reforms," Nguoi Lao dong (The Labourer) newspaper quoted Hoan as saying.

Recently the city Party Committee set up a hotline at number 0888247247 for citizens to make complaints and suggestions, which will be passed on to the People's Committee.

"In a short time the number has received over 1,000 calls, most of them related to the work of the People's Committee. So we will directly resolve all the problems informed over the hotline," Hoan said.

The calls would be dealt with in four ways, he said.

If callers ask about administrative procedures, they would get a reply immediately; problems would be referred to him and he was responsible for resolving them; chronic problems would be reviewed and fixed permanently; local residents and entrepreneurs could personally meet city leaders, he added. — VNS