VietNamNet Bridge – Delays in issuing land titles (red books) and land-use right certificates is a problem that needs urgent attention, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Manh Hien said last week.

He noted at an online conference that 44.6 per cent of all questions (434 out of 973) sent to the ministry and its local departments within a day were related to land.

Hien said that his ministry and its local agencies had explained and instructed people and enterprises to follow relevant regulations correctly, but their failure to do so had played a part in exacerbating the problem.

He also held Government agencies and officials responsible for the delay in issuing legal documents because they lacked the required competence and skills to process applications in a timely manner.

The ministry would send inspection teams to other provinces in order to assess the performance of local agencies and investigate violations, Hien said.

He also encouraged people to report officials and property developers making unreasonable demands for issuing land registration and other certification.

Any Government agency, official or developer who failed to fulfill their legal duties and responsibilities should be charged in accordance with the law and their violations made public, he said.

However, many members of the public were also to blame for the problem because they had transferred or resold properties without legal confirmation from concerned authorities, the Deputy Minister noted.

Landowners who completed all financial procedures and make no construction violations should be given land registration certificates without undue delays, Hien said.

He added that landowners could apply for land registration certificates at provincial Natural Resources and Environment Departments if district administrations failed to perform their duties.

He said his ministry had made some improvements by reducing administrative procedures in order to simplify the process of land registration.

The ministry would try to answer all general questions within three days and have provincial departments respond to questions about specific cases, he added.

It would also compile a report on the conference's findings as well as its assessment of provincial departments towards making them more efficient, he said.

VNS/VNN