Land Law 2013 has come into practice

(Baonghean) - Effective from July 1, 2014, the 2013 Land Law has been in effect for 6 months. On this occasion, Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with comrade Vo Duy Viet - Provincial Party Committee member, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment about the results of implementing the 2013 Land Law in the province.

PV:Dear Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment! Could you give a general assessment of the results achieved in the implementation of the 2013 Land Law in the province?

Comrade Vo Duy Viet:The implementation of the Land Law is a process and must be implemented comprehensively and synchronously. On March 24, 2014, in Decision No. 1077/QD-UBND.DC, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, relevant departments and branches; and the authorities of districts, cities and towns to focus on implementing the Land Law 2013 well. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment identified the implementation of the Land Law 2013 as an important political task of the unit in 2014.

Comrade Vo Duy Viet - Provincial Party Committee member, Director of Department of Natural Resources and Environment

With the close direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the tasks set out in Decision 1077 have been basically implemented by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies according to plan. These include the issuance of legal documents under local authority; on planning and land use planning; land allocation, land lease, land use purpose conversion; land recovery, compensation, support and resettlement; basic land investigation, land registration, issuance of Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land, construction of land information system, land database; land valuation; inspection and supervision of compliance with land laws; settlement of complaints and denunciations on land management and use... Thus, it can be affirmed that the implementation of the Land Law has been carried out according to the set plan.

PV:Before the National Assembly passed the 2013 Land Law, state management of land still had many limitations and shortcomings; administrative procedures on land were still cumbersome; complaints, denunciations, and disputes on land still accounted for a high rate... It was expected that these shortcomings would be resolved, so after a period of putting the Land Law (amended) into practice, can you evaluate the positive reforms of the 2013 Land Law?

Comrade Vo Duy Viet:The 2013 Land Law has provided basic provisions to gradually resolve the shortcomings and inadequacies of the 2003 Land Law. This is reflected in the fact that the Law has more specifically stipulated the rights and responsibilities of the State, the State's guarantees for land users; the rights and obligations of land users, forms of land use and conditions for exercising the rights of land users. It has increased publicity, transparency and democracy in land management and use. It has codified and specified many contents in the law, especially those related to the rights and interests of land users such as land recovery, compensation, support, resettlement, granting of certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land.

Regarding reforms, the 2013 Land Law has improved land policies and laws for the agricultural sector to facilitate the acceleration of the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas in association with ensuring the goals of national food security and environmental protection. It has strengthened the operation of land relations according to market mechanisms. It has paid attention to ensuring land use rights for vulnerable groups such as women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc. In addition, the Law has strictly regulated issues of land quality, innovated planning and land use plans.

Carry out procedures for granting Land Use Rights Certificate at Vinh City One-Stop Transaction Center.

According to the provisions of the 2013 Land Law, land allocation, land lease, and land use purpose conversion must now be based on the annual district-level land use plan approved by the competent state agency, so this is also a very important innovation... The time of law implementation is not long, the assessment of the positive reforms of the law is still at different levels. However, the 2013 Land Law is gradually being effectively applied to real life in the province.

PV:Dear comrade, up to now, has our province developed legal documents under its authority to implement the 2013 Land Law?

Comrade Vo Duy Viet:Up to now, the Provincial People's Committee has issued 6 decisions within its authority. These are Decision No. 49/2014/QD-UBND dated August 19, 2014 regulating the issuance of Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for the first time to households and individuals using land. Decision No. 54/2014/QD-UBND dated September 8, 2014 regulating compensation, support and resettlement when the State reclaims land. Decision No. 80/2014/QD-UBND dated October 27, 2014 regulating land recovery; land allocation, land lease and registration, issuance of Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for organizations with land use needs. Decision No. 78/2014/QD-UBND dated October 27, 2014 regulating the allocation of residential land without auctioning land use rights; registration and issuance of Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for households and individuals. Decision No. 79/2014/QD-UBND dated October 27, 2014 regulating land lease, change of land use purpose; registration and issuance of Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for households and individuals to implement investment projects in production and business. Decision No. 81/2014/QD-UBND dated October 27, 2014 regulating the order and procedures for reviewing and declaring the current status of land use; Register and grant certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land to domestic organizations using land.

These are all important legal documents under the provincial authority. With the results achieved, Nghe An is assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as one of the localities nationwide that most promptly implements the 2013 Land Law.

PV:In order for the Land Law to be put into practice most effectively, it is extremely important that individuals implementing the law, especially at the local level, must be knowledgeable and strictly comply with the provisions of the law. With its role, what solutions does the Department of Natural Resources and Environment have for the issue of staff, sir?

Comrade Vo Duy Viet:The issue of staff always plays a very important role in the effectiveness of the Law. Referring back to the shortcomings after nearly 10 years of implementing the 2003 Land Law, it can be seen that the issues of discipline and order in land management and use are not strict; administrative procedures are not good, the time for settlement is still long; providing information is not complete and timely to land users; the situation of land allocation beyond authority, land allocation to the wrong subjects; transfer of agricultural land use rights to change the land use purpose to housing... are all caused by individuals implementing the law. Here, it must be affirmed that one of the important reasons is that these individuals either lack full understanding of the provisions of the law, or lack public ethics.

Realizing this, in the process of implementing the 2013 Land Law, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has coordinated with districts, cities and towns to organize many professional training sessions for grassroots officials; thereby, widely propagating to all classes of people. In addition, the Department has drafted a document providing detailed guidance on important contents of the law that land officials and commune-level People's Committee Chairmen need to pay special attention to during the implementation process. Also in the guidance document, the Department has cited limitations and shortcomings and especially emphasized the causes, including the cause of the staff, affirming that a part of the staff working in land management is still weak in capacity and lacks responsibility.

In order for the 2013 Land Law to be effectively implemented, individuals implementing the law, especially at the grassroots level, in addition to studying and researching to understand the provisions of the law, need to further cultivate and improve public ethics. In recent years, the Party and the Government have mobilized all classes in society to study and follow the moral example of President Ho Chi Minh. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment also hopes that law enforcement officials need to be more aware of studying Uncle Ho's morality, thereby implementing the 2013 Land Law well, contributing to promoting the province's socio-economic development.

PV:Thank you for taking the time to talk with Nghe An Newspaper.

Nhat Lan - Nguyen Toan(Perform)