Living "hanging" for more than 20 years in the heart of town

Postponed wedding due to lack of accommodation

Among the 24 households mentioned above, Mr. Vo Van Trung's family (Block 6, Cau Giat Town, Quynh Luu District) is the one that has lived there since the first years. In 1990, Mr. Trung was transferred to work as a worker at the Fuel Construction Materials Company and more than 3 years later, the company sold him a communal house for his family to live in. Two children were born one after another, and together with his mother, the house was home to 5 people.

Mr. Vo Van Trung talks about floods, water entering his house up to his chest. Photo: Pham Bang

However, for the same number of years, his family has been living in a “renting house” because the land has not been granted a land use right certificate. He said that because at that time he only bought the property on the company’s land, up to now, his family has not been granted a red book. Because the house is too small, only enough to put 2 beds with a table and chairs, last year, his eldest son asked to get married but he and his wife did not agree.

“If I let my child get married, the couple will not know where they are. I also cannot bear to let my child lose face when their in-laws see my situation like this,” Mr. Trung said sadly.

Next to Mr. Trung’s house is the shabby, damp house of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam’s family. In 1993, Mrs. Tam got married and saved up some money to buy a communal house of the Fuel Construction Materials Company. Time passed, when Mrs. Tam’s three daughters got married and worked far away, she still lived alone in the house that had never been renovated with her grandchild as a poor household.

She said that because her house was so badly damaged, she had to cover the roof with tarps and plastic to prevent water from seeping in when it rained. But she had no choice but to deal with floods, so when the water rose above her knees, she had to find another temporary shelter.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam in her dilapidated house for decades.

The situation of Mr. Trung and Mrs. Tam is also the common situation of 24 households here. It is known that the total area of ​​3,780m2 of land of 24 houses where the households are living and doing business is within the total area of ​​7,772m2 that Quynh Luu Trading Company handed over to the Fuel Construction Materials Company in 1989.

In 1994, the Fuel Construction Materials Company sold 8 kiosks in the East with an area of ​​960m2 to 8 people, including government officials. After that, some people resold them to others and now people have built houses and combined business.

Also from 1992 to 1997, the company liquidated and priced collective houses on land for 14 households with staff and workers working at the company with an area of ​​2,822 m2. After that, 9 households in other places bought them from some retired staff or those who moved elsewhere.

According to Mr. Vo Duc Mui - Chairman of Cau Giat Town People's Committee (Quynh Luu), because these households previously only bought assets on land from the Fuel Construction Materials Company, the State could not issue them Land Use Rights Certificates. Therefore, these households are not allowed to repair or build new houses without permission from competent authorities. Up to now, this area has not been assigned by the State to the town for management, so it is not possible to invest in building traffic infrastructure and drainage ditches.

"Hang" until when?

In March 2006, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Inspectorate inspected the compliance with land laws of the Fuel Construction Materials Company.

According to the conclusion, this company was previously a fuel material store and in 1988 was transformed into a company, under the management of the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district. At the time of inspection, this company had not yet carried out the procedures for land lease or land allocation, and had not yet issued a land use right certificate as prescribed.

The houses of the households have seriously degraded but have not been repaired or rebuilt. Photo: Pham Bang

The company's sale of 8 kiosks and liquidation and price of the collective house on the land to 14 households is not in accordance with regulations. Currently, the actual area the company is still using is 1,670m2 including the row of sales kiosks.

The Inspectorate of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment recommended that the Provincial People's Committee reclaim 960m2 with 8 kiosks that the company had sold and 2,822m2 of land with 14 collective houses that the company had converted to the company's staff and workers. Although the company has been operating ineffectively for a long time, it has not yet been dissolved or converted to another type of enterprise.

Up to this point, the company has not yet met the conditions for land lease or land allocation. Therefore, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district is interested in having a definitive plan for the company's business situation so that the company can soon stabilize and have the conditions to fully comply with the land lease and land allocation application in accordance with the law.

To date, the above conclusion has been in effect for exactly 12 years, but the recommendations of the inspection team have not been resolved. Currently, the company's income is based solely on renting out the kiosks, and only the director and accountant have salaries and pay insurance.

The land of the households has not yet been recovered to be planned into a residential area.

Regarding the land area of ​​the fuel building materials company, in June 2015, the fuel building materials company submitted a request to return an area of ​​3,780m2 to the State with the reason that "there is no longer a need to use it". By July 2015, this company and the People's Committee of Cau Giat town had completed the procedures to hand over the land on the field.

In 2010, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 3489 dated August 5, 2010 allowing Dong A Joint Stock Company to survey and select a location to plan the construction of the project "Mixed-use residential area along the Thai River". After that, the project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee for detailed planning with an area of ​​over 2 hectares, including the entire land of the Fuel Construction Materials Company. However, after 3 years, the investor did not implement the project and sent a written request to stop, so the Provincial People's Committee decided to terminate the project and cancel the approved construction plan.

After receiving the handover from the company, in October 2017, the People's Committee of Cau Giat town submitted a document to the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district requesting to reclaim the above area. And just a few days later, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district submitted a document to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requesting to reclaim the land area that the company had handed over. However, up to this point, the Provincial People's Committee has not yet made a decision to reclaim the above area.

Mr. Vo Duc Mui - Chairman of Cau Giat Town People's Committee said that because the province has not yet reclaimed the land, the above land area is still under the management of the Fuel Construction Materials Company. Therefore, the residential planning steps cannot be implemented and the rights of these households are still "hanging".