Speaking at the main conference chamber at the Phuket City Municipality main office in Phuket Town yesterday (June 10). Mayor Saroj broadly outlined his policies for the development of Phuket City Municipality. pushing towards a “special model” for the country to follow.
In outlining nine major policies his administration will follow during his four-year-term, Mayor Saroj said the contact and feedback from the people was the top concern.
The municipality will improve the 24-hour complaints hotline, organise forums to hear opinions from all segments of the community and actively invite people to take part in submitting proposals to the government for consideration.
Improving education and supporting children with disabilities and the underprivileged to receive equitable education were also high on his agenda, including developing educational institutions in terms of quality and efficiency, he said.
Improving civic and community areas, such as by creating a music-performance area at Queen Sirikit Park and developing public areas at Khao Rang Park and Suan Luang Rama IX Park to become “beautiful as a tourist attraction and exercise place”, with emphasis on sustainable waste management, as well as developing a wastewater treatment system to be more efficient, were key objectives, Mr Saroj said.
In terms of local residents safety and security, the municipality will pursue quality of life policies such as promoting “safe cities” under the Pineapple Eyes project and monitoring traffic safety through CCTV.
Public health policies included pushing for the development of a public health service center to provide care for the elderly, as well as improving care for the disabled and the development of dialysis centres, Mr Saroj said.
Other key issues to be addressed included developing areas in Phuket Town to become tourist attractions, such as by transforming the municipality’s two main fresh markets to become “walking markets” and by developing the beach area at Saphan Hin.
Also key issues were consistent quality tap water supply, public transport, Wi-Fi connectivity, openly dealnig with corruption complaints and the sustainable economic development of Phuket Town, he added.
“For the policies presented to the Phuket City Council to be effective and successful requires cooperation from all sectors, to cooperate with each other and develop with the intention of managing the government of Phuket City to be in accordance with the law, rules, regulations, ordinances and policies, and we will adhere to the principles of good governance in accordance with good governance practices,” Mayor Saroj said.
“We intend to develop Phuket City Municipality to become an organization with excellent service, to put the people at the centre. It will be a medium to coordinate cooperation from all sectors in solving problems, to encourage people to share ideas, share presentations, share information, share recommendations, and participate in the review of the performance of the executive and legislative departments.
“We aim to develop our work, develop people, develop Phuket Municipality to progress with efficiency and effectiveness to lead Phuket Municipality to become a diverse creative city with a cultural identity, to be livable, safe, and modern with technology, for the greatest benefit to the people in the future,” he said.