Dan Visoiu
|
Supposedly the House of the People is the second largest building in the world. What is certain is that plenty of space within this "mastodont" (my loose translation, "monstrosity") is not used at present. So, why not take advantage of this facility and make everyone's life easier... at least for any person (local or foreigner) who has the good fortune of being forced to run around Bucharest from administrative authority to administrative authority in order to get one more document, one more stamp, etc. My idea is quite simple: re-locate all (or a major part) of Bucharest's administrative authorities (such as the "administratia financiara") to the House of the People in order to create an administrative one-stop-shop.
This would have several positive effects. There would be less traffic in Bucharest between the hours of 8am and 5pm. It still amazes me how there is a traffic jam on Bucharest's main thoroughfares all day long! Unlike other industrialized countries and capital cities where there are traffic jams, let's say, between 7am and 9am in the morning and between 3pm - 5pm in the afternoon, Bucharest is a non-stop traffic nightmare! (during the day, that is). In any event, my feeling is that a good number of those on the road during the day are running from one administrative authority to another. Thus, if all of Bucharest's major administrative organizations would all be in one place, there would be much less running around. This would mean less wasted time, less pollution, less traffic, etc. Let's also not forget that the House of the People is centrally located ("ultra central" as you would say in Romanian), and has rather good access to public transportation (in fact, it has its own metro station, Izvor). This means that people could leave their cars at various metro stations (such as Gara de Nord, which in the near future will have an underground parking garage) and then take this very affordable and civilized means of public transportation to the House of the People. And due to so many administrative authorities/offices in one area, any administrative problem could surely be resolved in half the time! (or even less).
This would also allow the various sectors and/or the Bucharest Municipality to sell off some of the existing buildings which are currently used by such administrative authorities, meaning millions and millions of Euros for a sector's or the municipalities' budget. As one concrete example, the "administratia finantelor publice" building at the corner of Popa Tatu & Berthelot (near the center) is surely worth a couple of million Euros. At the same time, anyone who goes through this intersection between the hours of 9am and 4pm sees the utter "babilonie" which takes place there on a daily basis (i.e., double or triple parked cars which constantly block traffic). So here is a chance for the city to make some money (and let's presume that the buildings would be sold pursuant to open and transparent tenders) and to make the lives of so many people much easier (including the poor neighbors who have to put up with the "babilonie").
And while we are at it, why not also move entire ministries and other governmental institutions into the House of the People. If anything, for the simple reason that the buildings currently used by a number of ministries could be sold to private investors, meaning that the State would surely make tens if not hundreds of millions of Euros (keeping in mind that most ministry buildings are in very central or relatively central locations). Just think about how much money the State would make from the sale of its buildings on Blvd. Libertatii (where the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of IT & Communications, the Environmental Ministry, etc., are located). Sure, it would not be cheap to convert the remaining space in the House of the People, but without doubt this renovation or remodeling would cost a fraction of what the State would earn from the sale of these buildings (and in any event would be funded from such future proceeds).
But when it is all said and done, it is all about
urban planning in order to increase the standard of living of those living and
working in Bucharest, a future EU capital with over 2 million inhabitants
(ironically, more than the population of some EU countries). And the relocation
of a majority of administrative authorities, ministries and other governmental
organizations into the House of the People would surely go a long way to
ensuring an increased standard of living.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Copyright © 2004-2006 Bucharest Daily News
An aristocratic title is not enough to ensure a noble behaviour. A person's greatness comes from acknowledging the mistakes and agreeing to correct them.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
*** sustineti [romania_eu_list] prin 2% din impozitul pe 2005 - detalii la http://www.doilasuta.ro ***
| American politics | Dvd region free | Region free dvd player |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "romania_eu_list" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
