Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the need for close cooperation between the government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) during talks yesterday, city governor Chadchart Sittipunt said.
Mr Chadchart revealed that the prime minister said he was looking forward to working closely with City Hall under its new leadership.
"We have no problems. The BMA is under the supervision of the Interior Ministry," Mr Chadchart told reporters at Government House.
Mr Chadchart and Gen Prayut met for the first time since the May 22 city polls, which he won by a landslide. He and new Pattaya governor Poramase Ngamphiches both attended the meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Mr Chadchart was transport minister under the government of then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra when Gen Prayut, then army commander-in-chief, led the military coup in 2014.
On the day of the coup, soldiers covered Mr Chadchart's head with a black bag and tied his hands before taking him to an unknown location. He spent a week in detention.
This issue was not raised during his talks yesterday with the prime minister, he said.
Mr Chadchart also told reporters in response to the concession issues of the Green Line railway that the City clerk and Transport Ministry will discuss them while the working panel will analyse the railway's financial data.
Afterwards, the study will be submitted to the Bangkok Metropolitan Council to determine whether to form an ad-hoc committee to deliberate the offers.
"It's an urgent matter," said Mr Chadchart.
The working panel has been instructed to finish in a month.
Mr Chadchart said he also needs to thoroughly check contracts regarding operating the trains from 2029 to 2042 to decide whether they need any revision.
On Thursday, Mr Chadchart met Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), for advice on how to best carry out the Bangkok governor's 216 policies, which include how to deal with corruption.
Besides advice on the Green Line's concession issues, the TDRI suggested that a GPS system be set up along bus stops to allow for the monitoring of the buses' active status on certain routes.
The TDRI has also conducted 29 educational plans in a bid to enhance education and reduce inequality at schools.
In addition to garbage separation issues, the BMA and the TDRI agreed to pilot projects in some district areas to reduce landfill sites and to see if any types of garbage could be used as fuels.