Going down to the hamlets and villages to guide people through the procedures.

(Baonghean)In implementing Directive No. 05 dated April 4, 2013, of the Prime Minister and Directive No. 14/2013 of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province on accelerating the issuance of land use right certificates, Vinh City has implemented many solutions, mobilized human resources, and used weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) to go down to the hamlets and villages to guide people in filling out applications for land use right certificates.

Present at the community hall of My Ha hamlet, Hung Loc commune, Vinh City, we witnessed a large number of people coming to complete the procedures for obtaining land use right certificates, even though it was a Saturday. Mr. Pham Thanh Xuan, from My Ha hamlet, happily said: “I have a piece of land given to me by my parents before 1980, but due to lack of funds, my family did not complete the procedures for obtaining the certificate. Now, after the commune announced it, the hamlet encouraged me, and sent me an invitation letter informing me that land owned before 1980 does not require payment, so today I came to the hamlet to have the land cadastral officer guide me in completing the application for a land use right certificate.” Ms. Vo Thi Hoa, also from My Ha hamlet, who was present at the meeting hall filling out the form, happily said: “I have a 324 m2 plot of land, separated from my parents' land.”

Previously, there was no funding to process the land title, so we couldn't do it. Now, knowing that the government is allowing deferred payment for land use conversion fees, we've come to the hamlet to complete the paperwork.” In Hung Loc commune, during this period, all hamlets have arranged personnel and sent invitations to households that have not yet been issued land titles to come and complete the paperwork and resolve any issues. Some residents also said: They had submitted applications for land titles since 2004, but the commune didn't process them, leaving them "stuck" in a cupboard. Now, having received the policy from the province and city, the commune is inviting them to reapply. This is truly good news for them.

Not only in Hung Loc commune, but in recent days, other wards and communes of Vinh City have also been conducting campaigns to guide people in obtaining land titles. Mr. Nguyen Dau Hong, from Block 6, Quan Bau ward, was also happy to have his application for a land title for his family's plot of land completed. Mr. Hong said that his land is within the planned area, and his family has long wanted to obtain a land title but hasn't been able to. Now, with the city's new policy of still issuing land titles for land within the planned area (without allowing construction or expansion), he came to submit his application hoping to receive the title soon, creating conditions for a stable life.

Land registry officials guide residents of My Ha hamlet (Hung Loc commune) in filling out the necessary paperwork for obtaining land use rights certificates.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Phu, a land administration officer in Quan Bau ward, stated: In 2013, Quan Bau ward was assigned a target of issuing land titles to 386 cases – a fairly large number, while many of the files were complex. Currently, the main problems in the ward are: land allocated without proper authority after October 15, 1993, which is now included in the planning; land used before October 15, 1993, but the 1993 cadastral map still shows it as undeveloped land or land that has increased significantly compared to the time of land allocation and compared to the 1993 map.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Phu, for land used before October 15, 1993, but still shown as undeveloped land on the cadastral map, to complete the dossier, the People's Committee of the ward must organize meetings with elderly people living near the land to verify the origin and history of land use, in order to supplement the dossier submitted to the council. As for cases where the land area has increased significantly: if the cause is due to expansion or encroachment before July 1, 2004, at the time of encroachment, without any written prohibition from the competent authority, and currently conforms to the planning and there are no disputes, then depending on each case, the State will consider leasing this area or granting an agricultural land title.

In Le Loi ward, the 2013 plan required completing the paperwork for 384 cases, including 47 cases in Block 10, 24 in Block 4, 55 in Block 8, 48 in Block 5, and 50 in Block 9… Mr. Thai Giap Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, said: "Most of these cases are 'complicated.' There are more than twenty cases involving disputes, some where there is disagreement regarding inheritance, and apartment complexes are also facing difficulties in obtaining land titles due to the lack of attention from the managing agency outside the province. However, following instructions from the province and city, the ward has been regularly making announcements via loudspeakers, sending invitations to each household, and sending officials to each block to guide each household in filling out the forms. The ward's goal is to complete all forms for all households before June 30, 2013." The ward considers this a crucial political task for the year. However, according to Mr. Thai Giap Vinh, despite sending out notices and invitations, only 50% of households have come to supplement their documents, indicating that people's awareness regarding the issuance of land use right certificates is still low.

Currently, in Vinh City, the rate of land title issuance has reached 90.6%. Mr. Le Van Ngoc, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Vinh City, said: In accordance with the Prime Minister's directive and the Provincial People's Committee's directive, Vinh City is determined to complete the issuance of land titles to citizens in 2013. The Vinh City People's Committee has directed relevant departments and units, as well as the People's Committees of wards and communes, to immediately implement several urgent measures. Extensive public awareness campaigns are being conducted through the public address system to inform the public about policies, guidelines, and the responsibilities of land users in declaring and preparing applications for land use certificates (LUCs) to ensure strict compliance. Administrative procedures for LUC issuance are publicly posted at the headquarters of the People's Committees of wards and communes and at the community cultural centers where land is located. Citizens are being organized to declare and prepare applications for LUCs, and administrative penalties will be imposed for non-compliance. The People's Committees of wards and communes are directed to instruct the Block and Hamlet Steering Committees to directly urge, remind, and deliver invitation letters to each household and individual currently using land but not yet granted land use certificates, requesting citizens to promptly declare and prepare documents to apply for land use certificates before June 30, 2013.

The registration office will coordinate with the People's Committees of wards and communes to assign specialized local officers to directly guide citizens in filling out declarations and preparing documents in residential areas; second short-term contract officers to some wards and communes with a large number of documents to check and guide the supplementation and completion of documents after the wards and communes have completed them. Specialized local officers will be assigned to conduct at least two weekly inspections and provide guidance to wards and communes on document classification and completion. A report on the results of the month's tasks, along with any difficulties, obstacles, and proposed recommendations (if any), accompanied by a self-assessment form, will be submitted to the City People's Committee (via the Department of Natural Resources and Environment). Failure to submit the report and self-assessment form by the deadline will result in failure to complete the task (rated D).

Based on our observations, the people of Vinh City are very enthusiastic about the province and city's policy of strengthening measures to essentially issue all land use right certificates to the people in 2013. People also hope that land administration officials and local authorities will be more proactive so that when people's applications are completed legally, they will receive land use right certificates on time, and that applications will not remain in communes or one-stop centers for too long, creating favorable conditions for people in transactions, mortgages, and promoting sound land management.

Text and photos: Chau Lan