Hotline delivers: Road repairs make travel safer for residents

Editor's Note:CGTN presents "My City, My Say," a special series featuring real stories from cities across China, where everyday concerns meet practical solutions. Through video and storytelling, the series explores how 12345 service hotlines help people make their voices heard and how local communities turn public requests into concrete action, offering a glimpse into China's vision of the "people's city." Wherever people live, everyday problems raise the same basic question: how do you get them fixed? A pothole needs repairing, a broken streetlight needs replacing, and a damaged manhole cover can become a safety hazard. In Luxian County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, residents can turn to a government service hotline for such problems – and in some cases, see them addressed within weeks. For residents of Jieguanba Village in Desheng Township, one such problem was a badly damaged rural road. "It's much easier to walk now, and cycling is great too," said Xia Tingfen, a resident, recalling how difficult it once was to travel along the bumpy road. Until earlier this year, the road was riddled with potholes and particularly difficult to navigate after rain. The problem was reported through the 12345 government service hotline, a nationwide platform for residents to raise complaints and requests and report problems to local authorities. After receiving the case, officials in Desheng Township sent staff to inspect the road. They found that the damage extended far beyond the 1.8 kilometers initially reported: the entire 13-kilometer stretch was in need of repair. Rather than repair only the section mentioned in the complaint, the township decided to renovate the entire road. Work began in January, with construction crews working in shifts to speed up the project. By the end of February, the 13-kilometer road had been fully paved, nearly a month ahead of schedule. The township also installed 250 solar-powered streetlights along the route, making daily journeys safer and more convenient for villagers traveling to school, markets and medical facilities. The hotline has also been used to tackle safety hazards in more built-up areas of Luxian County. In Yuchan Subdistrict, more than 60 manhole covers near several residential communities were damaged or missing. The area is on a key route to Longhu Wetland Park for residents of several nearby communities....