VietNamNet Bridge – While the two-year-old project to bury some of Ha Noi's mess of overhead wires underground has already benefited a few residents, the failure to tidy up the chaos throughout the rest of the city has not gone unnoticed.

A leaning pole at the corner of Thai Ha and Tay Son streets poses a threat to public safety. — File Photo

He complained that the tangle of fallen wires, the endless potholes and even tilting power and telephone poles made his life dangerous.

On May 18, a utility pole on Road 32, Kieu Mai Village, Tu Liem District fell on a motorbike rider, leaving him seriously injured.

Nguyen Thu Trang, a shop owner in Pham Ngoc Thach Street, said she was unhappy about the wires dangling near her clothes shop.

Trang said many poles in nearby streets were decaying, but "it seems no one can do something about it."

Both Dung and Trang thought the poles were leaning because they were too old and weighed down by too many wires and cables.

Just a few days ago, leaning poles were spotted in Hoang Van Thai, Le Trong Tan, Ton That Tung, Pham Ngoc Thach, Chua Boc, Thai Ha, Hoang Hoa Tham and Quang Trung Streets. Some were cracked and corroded.

Ma Hoai Nam, administration head of the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN), said poles on those streets were under the management of the corporation.

He said if the condition of the poles was reported to EVN, the corporation would take "timely action" to upgrade them.

However, when asked what action would be taken about the other poles, he refused to offer any details.

The poles are owned by many companies, including telecommunications, electricity, cable television and internet enterprises.

They are under the management of the City departments of Information and Communications, Construction, Transport and Industry and Trade.

Tran Trong Hieu, head of the Underground Project Management Department said the lack of proper co-operation and co-ordination among units was slowing down the undergrounding.

Last week, the Ha Noi People's Committee requested the Department of Information and Communications and the Urban Renovation Project Management Board to supervise the undergrounding work and work to clean-up the city's tangle of overhead wires.

The Construction Department was told to inspect the existing undergrounding work that covers about eight streets.

It also said the works must be safe, efficient and environment-friendly and requested the inspections and corrections of existing problems to ensure road safety.

This year, the undergrounding and arrangement of wires and cables along 15 routes in the capital city was expected to cost more than VND424 billion (nearly US$20.6 million).