The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will go ahead with its plan to move its head office from the building at Sao Chingcha in Phra Nakhon district to its second office in Din Daeng district, Governor Chadchart Sitthipunt said on Monday.
Mr Chadchart said integration of the two offices would make the city administration more efficient.
The governor said he understood well that BMA officials working at the Sao Chingcha head office were worried about the inconvenience they would incur. They would have to travel further to work from their homes to the Din Daeng office. It would take longer and they would have problems taking their children to and from school.
Mr Chadchart said many city officials had come to see him with their children and asked whether the relocation plan could be reviewed. He explained to them the necessity of integrating the two offices and asked them to think about the overall benefit for the majority of people.
Chakkapan Phiewngam, a deputy city governor and chairman of the committee for the relocation of the BMA head office, said the planning for the move had been completed. The committee would meet again on Wednesday.
The Sao Chingcha office accommodated the finance department, budget department, the governor’s secretariat, the Bangkok Council secretariat, permanent secretary’s secretariat, office of the permanent secretary, strategy and evaluation department and the auditor-general’s department, he said. There were a total of 2,047 officials and other employees at Sao Chingcha.
The Din Daeng office of the BMA has the office of the city administrators, department of culture, department of sports and tourism, department of health, part of the department of strategy and evaluation, and the department of traffic and transport.
Changes could be made to the Thani Nopparat building at the Din Daeng office to accommodate the personnel and offices relocated from Sao Chingcha. There was room.
The BMA office at Sao Chingcha would be converted into a city museum, and would also house the departments of culture and sports and tourism.
Mr Chakkapan said on completion of the integration there would be adequate food shops and convenience stores for BMA staff. Transport and travel arrangements would be made for them, he added.