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Clearer policy on land values needed
The Government should establish one land price instead of the two at present – one set by State authorities and the other by the market, delegates to a conference agreed in Ha Noi on Mar. 15.
The conference was held by a committee set up to review and modify the 2003 Land Law and the municipal People's Committee. It collected ideas from agencies in the city and neighbouring provinces.
In a speech to the gathering, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Pham Khoi Nguyen, said the Government had produced more than 65 documents guiding the implemetation of Land Law.
"The law has helped improve land use and management in the nation – and in the capital in particular," Nguyen said.
However, Deputy Director of the city's Natural Resources and Environment Department Nguyen Huu Nghia said there were difficulties in implementing the law as land policies were not unified.
This slowed down compensation, resettlement and land clearance in the city.
Nghia said this had driven up land prices.
He suggested the Government stipulate a framework for calculating land prices which could be used for three to five years.
He said this would create more land stability as well as save money to adjust them every year.
"The price frame should be updated and supplemented according to market changes," he said.
Sharing his idea, head of the city's Land Clearance Steering Committee Nguyen Duc Ben said the law should define the difference between land ownership and land-use rights to avoid illegal land occupancy.
"People should have to demonstrate that their land is being legally used, as many households encroach on public land, lakes and roads, especially in rural areas, and then ask for compensation when asked to shift," he said.
He said up to 80 per cent of the total cost of a project could be dramatically reduced if there was a clear policy on withdrawal.
Lam Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Hai Ba Trung District People's Committee, said there were numerous complaints relating to land clearance.
"The city should solve this matter to encourage investors," Tuan said.
vietnamnews
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