HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội earned VNĐ7.955 trillion (US$349 million) from auctioning land-use rights last year, pushing the total revenue it earned from land up to VNĐ37 trillion ($1.62 billion).

Land-related revenue, including land leases, land fees and land auctions, accounted for 15 per cent of the city’s total budget last year.

These figures were revealed at the meeting on Wednesday between Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà and the city leaders.

At the meeting, director of the city’s Environment Department Nguyễn Trọng Động reported that more than 1.53 million land plots, 98.74 per cent of total land plots in the city, have now been declared and certificated. This indicates land users have provided information about the origins and use of the land, which authorities have reviewed and approved.

Certifications were granted to land users of over 196,000 land plots, the usage of which was declared for the first time last year.

Last year, the city authorities approved over 2,000 projects on land eviction, land allocation, land lease or changes in land-use purpose. The projects cover a total area of nearly 8,000ha.

More than 700ha of rice, protected forest and special use forest were shifted for other purposes.

Over 300ha of service land was allocated to nearly 39,000 families for management and use.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung said the city faced difficulties in granting land-use rights certificates to land users, mostly because of the unidentified origin of many land plots.

“Granting land-use right certificates is the issue of concern for which city authorities received residents’ complains most,” Chung said.

People usually complained about troubles they met when applying for land-use rights certifications at ward or commune people’s committees.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà admitted that there remain problems as people seek land-use rights certificates.

He said that the ministry would send inspectors to co-operate with the Hà Nội People’s Committee in detecting and punishing State employees that demand bribes or enact cumbersome and unnecessary procedures.

Hà said that the ministry would also work with the city to develop a set of environmental criteria for Hà Nội to better control environmental pollution in the city.

Hà asked the city to co-operatively work with the UK’s Geology Department to collect data and complete a detailed map of the city’s underground terrain.

Hà Nội planned to complete its land database and continue to update data of constructions, trees and underground works this year.

The ministry also asked for measures to address on-going violations on mineral mining activities in Hà Nội, especially illegal sand mining.

Chairman Chung said that the city planned to inspect 27 locations for safe sand mining. The sand exploitation at such locations would be opened for bidding, which is expected to generate VNĐ2.6 trillion ($114 million) in the first year and VNĐ1.5 trillion every following year.

The funds are expected to be used for social investment as well as to address the illegal sand mining, Chung said. — VNS