Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 873 - 593: When One Side Is in Trouble, All Sides Offer Support
"Is it very serious?" Huang Yuanchang asked in a low voice.
Mayor Wang looked at the flood situation report and said with deep concern, "As of six o’clock this morning, there have been 37 dangerous situations along the rivers in the province, including collapses, piping, and leakage, among which one is a major danger."
Although Director Tang is also a member of the City Flood Control Command, he has been busy dealing with water traffic accidents and rescuing accident-prone ships these days. Unaware of these issues, he subconsciously asked, "Mayor Wang, where did the major danger occur?"
"The night before last, when the flood peak entered the Yangzhou section, a collapse occurred on the Yangzhou section of the Yangtze River embankment. It directly threatened the safety of Yangzhou Port, Yangzhou Second Power Plant, and even Yangzhou City. Fortunately, it was discovered in time and handled properly, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
Mayor Wang handed the flood situation report to Huang Yuanchang and continued, "Yesterday at noon, the Provincial Committee and Provincial Government issued an emergency notice, clearly stating that despite our province’s determination last year to comprehensively repair the Jianghai Flood Control, due to time and funds, two-thirds of the Yangtze River embankment standard projects have not been completed, and there are still many dangerous works and sections, especially the dike standards of the Tong River waterways are even worse.
The Jiangnan Yangtze River mainstream riverbed is unstable, with many sections prone to dike collapse, with a more severe situation extending over 40 kilometers, some already close to the main river embankment and some industrial and mining enterprises.
It is now only under the threat of ’foreign water passing through’ from the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River that so many dangers have already occurred. If a typhoon, heavy rain, high tides, and large floods were to converge, the potentially caused damage to our Jiangnan Province could even far exceed last year!"
Your province’s river embankment standard projects are still two-thirds uncompleted, but your standards are not the ones issued and implemented by the Yangtze River Committee over a decade ago; they were set by your province last year, demanding much more than the Yangtze River Committee’s requirements for Jianghai Flood Control.
As for the major danger, only one embankment collapse occurred in the whole province, so how does that compare to Beihu?
Over in Beihu, several civil dikes have already breached, and who knows how many people’s homes have been flooded or how many citizens have been displaced.
Additionally, the incidents of piping, leakage, and other dangers can’t be tallied up by either the Yangtze Flood Control Command or Beihu Province Flood Control Command!
Huang Yuanchang was deeply worried but couldn’t refute.
Mayor Wang continued, "The Provincial Defense Command is researching the impact on water levels below Zhenjiang after the Huai River water enters the Yangtze, and will take measures to close the river openings, stopping drainage into the Yangtze if necessary, to stagger the flood peak and tide period, but this will further exacerbate flooding.
Director Huang, you have worked in our Binjiang for many years, you should know that Binjiang and even our Jiangnan Province need to deal with not only Yangtze floods but also sea tides. From a provincial perspective, the nearly thousand-kilometer coastline has low-standard dikes, weak defenses, and many defective culverts along the line.
The Huai River’s sea route has been planned for a long time, but due to funding it hasn’t started, and Hongze Lake’s flood outlet is severely insufficient. If we close the Huai River’s outlet to stagger peaks, then the Liu Xia River Waterway area in Si Gang will be flooded, such severe internal flooding has occurred many times over the past years."
As mayor, you could talk all day about the Yangtze River flood control and flood prevention in Binjiang.
Huang Yuanchang didn’t want to hear Mayor Wang talking about these, nor did he want to beat around the bush. He put down the document and opened his briefcase, taking out a project approval list from the Binjiang City Port Authority and district and county ports, as well as Yangtze River coastline usage, gently placing it in front of Mayor Wang:
"Mayor Wang, to be honest, I am entrusted by the Yangtze River Committee and our Changhang Bureau leadership to seek help from you. Over the years, the Yangtze River Committee and our Changhang Bureau have been supporting Binjiang’s economic construction. At this moment, colleagues in various offices of the Yangtze River Committee and our Changhang Bureau are working overtime to review these project materials from Binjiang."
Mayor Wang did not expect him to mention this. Looking at the list of proposed construction and ongoing "build first, approve later" projects, he was momentarily stunned.
Huang Yuanchang took a deep breath and said very seriously and sincerely, "I have asked colleagues in various offices and consulted with comrades responsible for relevant approvals at the Yangtze River Committee and Port Supervision Bureau. They said that every step in the process must be followed, but it should take at most half a month to complete all the procedures."
Project development is difficult, not only because of the funding needed but also due to tier after tier of administrative approval.
These units wielding the power of approval indeed present hard-to-enter doors, unsightly faces, unpleasant conversations, and difficult tasks!
What does it matter if you’re the top party and government official of a prefecture-level city? If they say they won’t give you face, they won’t. Trying to meet directors or office chiefs responsible for approval is harder than meeting provincial leaders.
Who would have thought that now, being desperate, they would come offering services right to the door, and with such a good attitude.
Mayor Wang felt as if the sun was rising from the west, skeptically asking, "So many projects, can they all be approved in half a month?"
"The Yangtze River Committee and our Changhang Bureau can do it in at most half a month. As for some assessments needed for approval, our bureau leadership has already notified the relevant units. Although most comrades are on the river embankments fighting floods, it should not affect Binjiang’s economic construction. We will dispatch them quickly to Binjiang for assessment, and it may require the cooperation of the applying units at that time."
Huang Yuanchang paused, adding, "As for departmental approvals, relevant offices in our bureau will fully assist. From past years’ practice, as long as we approve here, the department generally won’t block it."
Under normal circumstances, these approvals take at least two to three years to run through, involving repeated travels back and forth.
The corresponding assessments are even more troublesome, not only being very slow but also costing a lot of money. Sometimes, after paying the assessment fees, assessments still fail to pass.
In this situation, we need to invite their designated experts for evaluation, and we also need to pay a considerable evaluation fee.
Mayor Wang regained his composure, realizing that Huang Yuanchang came with sincerity, and thought this deal could be negotiated, holding back his laughter, he said: "Director Huang, Director Tang, when one side is in trouble, all sides support. The flood control situation in Hanwu is so severe, if it were usual times, we would unhesitatingly send Salted Fish and them for support.
But this is not usual times, we also need to manage flood control ourselves. How about you rest in the meeting room for a while, after all such a big matter isn’t something I, as a mayor, can decide alone. I need to report to Secretary Lu, seek opinions from the Flood Control Command, and communicate with friends from the Military District and Binjiang Reserve Group."
"Alright, thank you, Mayor Wang, we’ll wait for news in the meeting room."
Huang Yuanchang opened his briefcase again, took out a proposal drafted before his visit, and gently placed it in front of Mayor Wang.
Seeing off Huang Yuanchang and Director Tang, Mayor Wang, while calling Secretary Lu, examined the proposal left by Huang Yuanchang and instantly realized that Mr. Huang came well-prepared, considering almost everything related to "borrowing troops".
Secretary Lu was equally incredulous when he received the call.
Until Mayor Wang repeatedly confirmed, Secretary Lu laughed heartily: "On-site service, one-time resolution, even the water conservancy approvals can be settled, this is a good thing! It saves us from unnecessary errands and unwarranted expenses!"
"So, Secretary Lu, do we agree with them?"
"Certainly agree, have to agree. Anyway, that Salted Fish has been traded several times, besides this time we’re not selling, just labor exporting!"
Mayor Wang also thought the deal was cost-effective, saying: "But it involves mobilizing troops, and it’s inter-provincial and cross-major military district mobilization, our say doesn’t count."
Secretary Lu didn’t want to miss this opportunity, he laughed: "How to mobilize is their concern, you must know that the Yangtze Flood Control Command directly answers to the National Flood Control Headquarters; it’s not difficult for them to mobilize. What we need to do is agree, if we don’t agree, even if the higher-ups want to mobilize, they can’t."
"That’s true, after all, we are also engaged in flood control and fighting."
"I’ll have the City Committee Office quickly notify Friend Guangming, also need to notify the Military District over there. Once everyone’s here, we’ll have a meeting first, then discuss further."
"Should we notify the Reserve Group friends?"
"Why notify them, they’ve nothing but an empty frame, notifying them makes no sense. Besides, Friend Guangming is concurrently the First Political Commissioner of the Reserve Group, he can represent the Reserve Group."
"Right, right, almost forgot, he’s not only concurrently the First Political Commissioner of the Reserve Group but also Deputy Political Commissioner of Jiangnan Army Reserve Division, both a group leader and a division chief."
So many administrative approvals, solved at once.
The more Secretary Lu thought, the happier he got, energetically gripping the phone he said: "Also need to notify the heads of Gaoru, Changzhou, Linghai, and the Port Authority, especially the top Party and administrative leaders of the relevant districts and counties. They always say behind our backs that our City Committee and Municipal Government cannot solve their problems, never help them, instead always take their achievements, thinking we don’t know.
This time we’ll show them whether the City Committee and Municipal Government can or cannot help them solve real issues? I want to see their reactions, hear what they have to say. If we don’t knock some sense into them, they might truly forget who they are."
This is the key!
The seven districts and counties always pay lip service while going against, never putting the City Committee and Municipal Government in their eyes; if we don’t knock some sense into them, they’ll rebel.
Now the opportunity presents itself, the City Committee and Municipal Government have solved so many project approval problems for them that they couldn’t handle even if they broke their legs, they should feel grateful to the City Committee and Municipal Government, should be compliant and obedient, and not always think about rebelling.
The more Mayor Wang thought, the more sensible it seemed, he couldn’t help but suggest: "Secretary Lu, why not notify everyone, let those district and county leaders who aren’t along the river, who don’t have related construction projects, all attend."
"Alright."
Secretary Lu gestured to his secretary to notify the City Committee Office while laughing: "Also notify Salted Fish, have Friend Guangming notify, let Salted Fish hurry back to Sanhe to prepare. When one side is in trouble, all sides support, the upstream flood control situation is severe, we downstream prefecture-level cities should take the initiative to lend a hand."
"Alright, I’ll have Xiao Liu contact Friend Guangming."
Mayor Wang put down the phone, looked at Secretary Liu who was about to notify Vice Mayor Qin: "Xiao Liu, by the way, please invite Director Huang and Director Tang to come over. Also, notify the reception office, arrange a table at Wushan Hotel for lunch, I want to host Director Huang."
