City Hall is turning up the heat on Phnom Penh’s district governors, formally transferring the responsibility for fixing the capital’s potholes to the local level, though the funds will still come from the municipal budget.

During a meeting to tackle mounting traffic congestion in Phnom Penh yesterday, City Governor Pa Socheatvong said district governors are expected to oversee repairs to their streets before the rainy season.

Handling the repairs in timely fashion will serve as a way for district governors to prove they are capable enough to hold their current positions, he said.

“If they cannot do it, we need to realise that this is a problem.”

About 75 per cent of the road repairs have already been completed by the municipality, Socheatvong said, leaving only a quarter of repairs to be addressed by the district governors. Some 5 billion riel, about $1.25 million, remains set aside for the project.

San Chey, executive director for the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, yesterday said Socheatvong made the decision because the city had proven itself incapable of managing the streets well.