HCM City (VNA) - The HCM City Department ofTransport has sought permission to rent 100 more cameras to monitor traffic safety,saying there are no cameras on a number of streets and intersections, whichposes difficulties for authorities to tackle traffic problems.

Deputy Director of the department Vo Khanh Hung said only asmall number of cameras have been installed, leaving many roads unmonitored.

According to the department, a section ofNational Highway No 1A in Thu Duc district is congested but cameras are onlyinstalled at intersections and traffic police checkpoints, allowing people tobrazenly violate traffic rulers without fear of punishment.

Similarly, few cameras have been placed at crossroads andintersections such as the Nguyen Xi-Dinh Bo Linh intersection in Binh Thanh district,Hoang Van Thu-Nguyen Kiem intersection in Phu Nhuan district and 3 FebruaryStreet-Le Hong Phong intersection in District 10.

There are 591 traffic cameras connected with the department’sCentre for Traffic Monitoring and Operation, including 252 installed by otherslike the VOV National Traffic Channel, Phu My Hung Development Co and the HCMCity Urban Drainage Company Ltd, Hung said.

The department would have to pay 2.5 billion VND (107,000 USD)for renting and maintaining its 339 cameras next year.

The plan to hire 100 more cameras is also part of the masterplan to develop HCM City into a smart city in 2017-20, according to thedepartment.

Many districts have installed cameras to monitor publicsecurity, traffic safety and illegal use of pavements.

District 12 authorities have installed 600 in 11 wards and GoVap district’s Ward 14 has installed 200 cameras.

In District 5’s Ward 12, cameras installed recently at the TanHung-Thuan Kieu intersection have helped curb violations. Tran Phuong Nam, Chairmanof the ward People’s Committee, said the ward has installed nearly 100 cameras.

The camera installation has helped improve proper use ofpavements, he added.

In April, Binh Thanh district launched an app for the publicto complain about garbage dumping, illegal construction and pavementencroachment. It has yielded positive results and the city plans to expand theapp to all districts.

Besides monitoring public security and traffic safety,cameras also help authorities quickly resolve problems and discover violationsrelated to the use of pavements, a spokesman for the District 12 People’sCommittee said.

Dang Cong Tuan, Vice Chairman of Go Vap district’s Ward 14,said the cameras have helped reduce the number of violations.-VNA