Around the issue of people's red books being 'suspended' in Con Cuong

Strange!

At the end of February 2023, we were led by Mr. Ton Luong Khanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Con Cuong district, and Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoang - cadastral officer of Chi Khe commune, to Lien Dinh village to learn about "resolving the backlog of granting Certificates of land use rights, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for individual households" according to Plan 815/KH-UBND dated December 30, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee.

Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Con Cuong district, Mr. Ton Luong Khanh, and cadastral officer of Chi Khe commune, Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoang, talked with Ms. Luong Thi Nho. Photo: Nhat Lan

Lien Dinh Village is located only a few hundred meters from National Highway 7, the road is spacious, clean and beautiful. Here, Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoang connected to the Village Chief by phone, but the phone was "unreachable". Therefore, he had to proactively go find the new household to receive "the Land Use Rights Certificate from the branch staff of the District Land Registration Office". Not long after, Mr. Hoang took us to Ms. Luong Thi Nho's household because "her household had just received the Land Use Rights Certificate".

Ms. Nho is 53 years old, and is very happy to have guests come. She took everyone to the stilt house, then hurriedly opened the cabinet and pulled out many different types of papers to search for the Land Use Rights Certificate. “Here it is, this cover was just received at the end of last year…” - Ms. Nho said excitedly and continued telling the story of the cadres who came to the village to deliver the covers to the people: “The village chief announced over the loudspeaker so that everyone knew the time to come to the community cultural house to receive them. On time, everyone came and the cadres delivered the covers. But only about half of the village received the covers…”.

Ms. Luong Thi Nho and the new Land Use Rights Certificate received at the end of October 2022. Photo: Nhat Lan

Looking at the Certificate of agricultural land use rights with number CO331446, valid until 2064 of Ms. Luong Thi Nho's household, I was surprised to see that this Certificate of land use rights was issued by the competent authority, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district, on August 18, 2018. The representative of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district signed the Certificate of land use rights, Mr. Lo Van Thao - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee. Mr. Lo Van Thao has changed his position for several years now, currently holding the position of Permanent Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the District People's Council. Therefore, I was wondering and asked the land officer Nguyen Duy Hoang: "Why is the Certificate of land use rights signed by Mr. Lo Van Thao in 2018, when he was still the Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, just now reaching the people's hands?"

Instead of answering the question directly, land officer Nguyen Duy Hoang confirmed that around the end of October 2022, the people of Lien Dinh village were organized by the Con Cuong District Land Registration Office to hand over Land Use Right Certificates in the village. And in the exchange of Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoang, he mentioned that in Chi Khe commune, there are still about 800 Land Use Right Certificates that have not been handed over to the people yet.

The newly issued agricultural land use right certificate for Ms. Luong Thi Nho's household shows that it was completed in December 2018, but her family only received it after 4 years. Photo: Nhat Lan

Working with the Party Secretary and Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, Mr. Loc Van Hoi, it was informed that in 1996, Chi Khe Commune implemented the issuance of Certificates of land use rights for residential land associated with garden land and production land for people according to Decree 164/ND-CP. By 2014, regular measurements were carried out, then in 2015 - 2016, records were prepared for issuance and renewal according to Directive 14/2014 of the Provincial People's Committee.

“The work of measuring land and preparing documents is a State project, so people are granted free Land Use Right Certificates. At this time, the entire Chi Khe commune has been granted about 1,900 land use right certificates. However, the issuance process still has some remaining that have not been issued yet…”

Mr. Loc Van Hoi - Party Secretary and Chairman of Chi Khe Commune People's Committee

Road to Lien Dinh village, Chi Khe commune. Photo: Nhat Lan

The district has repeatedly urged

Recounting what was seen and heard in Chi Khe commune with some responsible officials of Con Cuong district. These officials recognized that this was a problem that had existed for a long time. And the district has repeatedly reminded and urged the branch of the district Land Registration Office to focus on thoroughly handling this problem.

Specifically, in September 2022, Con Cuong District People's Committee received Document No. 289/TTr-UBND from Luc Da Commune People's Committee reporting on a number of shortcomings in the process of organizing the issuance and re-issuance of Land Use Right Certificates according to Directive 14/2014 of the Provincial People's Committee such as: Registering land changes; correcting land plot information (due to merging villages and hamlets); signing and stamping on page 4 of the old Land Use Right Certificate.

In the submission, the People's Committee of Luc Da commune proposed: "To create favorable conditions for the People's Committee of the commune and people to avoid having to travel many times, at the same time, to allow land users to exercise their rights and obligations in granting and re-issuing Land Use Right Certificates according to Directive 14/2014 of the Provincial People's Committee. We request the District People's Committee; the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the branch of the Con Cuong District Land Registration Office to coordinate with the People's Committee of the commune to promptly issue Land Use Right Certificates to the people of Luc Da commune".

A village of Luc Da commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Hoai Thu

Based on Document No. 289/TTr-UBND of Luc Da Commune People's Committee and the reality in the area, immediately after that, Con Cuong District People's Committee issued Document No. 1134/UBND.TN reminding the branch of the District Land Registration Office. In this Document, Con Cuong District People's Committee set a timeline, requiring the branch of the District Land Registration Office to complete the handover of outstanding Certificates to people throughout the area.

Accessing Document No. 1134/UBND.TN dated September 22, 2022, it is true that the Con Cuong District Land Registration Office branch has been "strictly reminded" and urged by the Con Cuong District People's Committee. Document No. 1134/UBND.TN has the following content:“On September 14, 2022, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district received Document No. 289/TTr-UBND dated September 13, 2022 from the People's Committee of Luc Da commune regarding the request for coordination in issuing land use right certificates. The Chairman of the District People's Committee commented as follows:

The granting of land use right certificates to households and individuals who have been granted new or renewed after surveying cadastral maps has been urged in writing by the Nghe An Provincial Land Registration Office and the District People's Committee many times, but up to now, there are still pending land use right certificates that have been granted at the Con Cuong District Land Registration Office Branch that have not been granted. This has resulted in the rights of land users being affected when exercising their rights as land users.

Document No. 1134/UBND.TN dated September 22, 2022 of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district reminds and urges the Branch of the Land Registration Office of Con Cuong district. Photo: Nhat Lan

The People's Committees of communes and towns, banks and credit funds (for certificates that are being mortgaged or borrowed) shall coordinate with the Con Cuong District Land Registration Office Branch to organize the exchange of land use right certificates to ensure the set plan. The Land Registration Office Branch shall correct the certificates, manage and revoke the certificates that have expired according to regulations. Upon receipt of this dispatch, the Land Registration Office Branch, the People's Committees of communes and towns and related units shall strictly implement it.

A leader of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district said that he had also been reported by the Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ton Luong Khanh, about the incident in Lien Dinh village. Thereby, it can be seen that, despite being reminded and urged many times, the branch of the Land Registration Office of Con Cuong district has not yet completed the work of handing over the remaining certificates to households and individuals in the area. "In the immediate future, we will review and count the number of outstanding land use right certificates, and at the same time clarify the reasons why they have not yet been returned to the people..." - the leader of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district affirmed!