Perhaps the title is an exaggeration, but before this year’s Songkran Festival a delegation from Gum Hak Doi Suthep visited Chiang Mai Mayor Tessanai and discussed the idea of having a monthly public meeting for Chiang Mai folk where Municipal activities could be discussed and where both the public and Council could share news and ideas.
Starting this July on Thursday the 8th from 4:30 pm the first monthly meeting chaired by Mayor Tessanai will take place. The venurue is Meeting Room No. 1 in the Chiang Mai Municipal Offices opposite the Ping River north of the Consulate-General of the USA.
All are welcome and are invited to to submit suggestions for consideration in the comments section below.
เรียน ทุกท่าน
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TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THE MAYOR’S MEETING 8 TH JULY 2010
Participants 15 persons from CSO
20 persons from Municipal Office
The meeting started 16.30 p.m.
The Mayor gave a speech to welcome all participants and set the ground rule to speak 5 min per person which he has started informing about what are his plan for this year
1. Put the electrical wire underground by August
2. Project making organic garbage in to fertilizer
3. Railways park
4. Improve Chiangmai’s traffic
5. Green city
COMMENT FROM PARTICIPANTS
– Incident of smoke problem during month of Feb-Apr , have to strengthen the publicity to ban burning to the far remote area as it caused smoke come to the CM as the valley.
– Suggestion to improve bus station as it is a gate to enter Chiangmai
Anuwat from Region office of natural resources. Complaint about pavement and road condition are not facilitate for pedestrians anymore many food stall along the street of Suthep and Hueykeaw road which are the main roads known to visitor.
– Traffic is very bad caused by too many vehicle/motorbikes and not easy for people to use bicycle.
– Suggest to collect more fee to vehicle and put to the community fund
– Space at Changphuak now is the parking it destroyed scenic beauty of that area so as a park near Suan Buak Haad
– Too many festivals in Chiangmai it should be a real Cultural Festival
Dr.. Duangjan from Urban Development institute Foundation
• Mentioned Global warming causing the drought in this area due to change of Indian monsoon.
• Ask the people to save water or cut usage of water by half to reserve water to agriculture. What if the dam has no water, so what the city will do
• She recommendedto have other place to hold the meeting as the place is difficult to access and CSO feel discouraged. The Mayor responded that there is no objection to meeting elsewhere but prefers a Municipal venue. Next time it is going to be here until we came to the consensus to know to be held
Mr. Narong Tananuwat, a former of chamber of Commerce President
• The road map of the municipal should coincide which the mission of Chiangmai which aims to belong to the Mekhong area
• Waste Water Management esp Mae Kha canal
• Make Chiangmai as an Eco City or Low Carbon City
• Security
Many people share ideas about waste water management of Mae Kha canal
Response from the Mayor suggesting to grow some kind of plants to filter pollution
To have tax rebate for business who invest in water treatment before its release into canal (e.g long tail boats)
– The incursion on the old wall near the night Bazzar ( Kampangdin) by big buildings. How it could happen?
– The mayor cannot develop the city of Chiangmai alone, have to call people’s participation both physical and spiritutal
– has comment on city planning & layout that should separate conservation and commercial areas. And try to discourage people to move out because that will increase crime.
– Many trees were cut on Ratanakosin Road. There should have no more trees cut
Lot of parks e.g. Railway park and Rama 9 park were disheveled and dirty. The Mayor’s team responded that those parks are in court due to some conflicts therefore nothing can be done during the trial period.
– suggest to organize more systematic way of meeting i.e. agenda distributed in advance, progress reports, problem information and proposed corrective action. Grouping of problems
– suggested to improve Municipal websites to become user friendly and more informative and increase communication between Mayor and Community Ask the Mayor to become the leader to express Global warming Global Crisis to the community, to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and excessive consumption and to lessen destruction of natural resources. How to cope with problem in future? Educate the community endangered by this crisis.
Next month’s – Agenda
1. Klong Mae Kha management
2. Traffic management
Next meeting 13th August 17.00 p.m. at Municipal office
Notes by Punika
I attended this meeting but missed much due to my bad Thai.
As for a meeting venue: The room used is designed as a council chamber with air conditioning, microphones for 20 or so participants and limited seating.
The room is not suitable for a meeting the general public is invited to which could easily bring in 200 or more and needs to be moved elsewhere.
Various suggestions were put forward and if the city, as it appears has no Town Hall the town is replete with large churches, temples and educational halls which would be suitable.
Ricky