HÀ NỘI — Despite the efforts of city authorities to remove hindrances in accessing land-use rights and house-ownership certificates - known as red books - the certificates still remain out of reach for many residents.

The situation remains a problem in several apartment buidlings and in areas where residents have lived for decades.

Some 89 households of the apartment building of the Hà Nội Technical and Professional Skills Training School in Trung Hòa Ward, Cầu Giấy District - where officials and teachers of the school reside - have yet to obtain red books: after 30-40 years of living there.

The land was assigned to them by the school in the 1970s-1980s. According to the law, they are qualified for home ownership certificates.

Representatives of the apartment building have talked with relevant agencies many times. But authorities say the Hà Nội Technical and Professional Skills Training School has been slow to provide the required documents and detailed maps of the land, making it impossible to issue the red books.

More urgently, about 2,000 people of 500 households in residential area number 4 (Thanh Nhàn Ward, Hai Bà Trưng District) face high risk of their houses collapsing. They cannot repair or rebuild their dilapidated houses without red books.

Local authorities’ lack of concern about locals’ petitions for red books is troubling.

The residential area is part of the suspended Tuổi Trẻ Thủ Đô (Capital City’s Youth) park project. Which means these buildings will soon be removed to clear land for the new expanded park.

Thanh Nhàn Ward People’s Committee has asked authorised agencies to solve the problem. But residents have been waiting for clearance for a long time and still suffer the challenges of living in dilapidated houses.

Hai Bà Trưng District is home to a large number of households without red books, because of suspended construction projects.

According to Hà Nội’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, there were about 140,000 areas without red books as of April this year, due to violations by investors or lack of legal procedures.

Early this month, the Hà Nội’s People’s Committee set up a working team to help residents apply for certificates of land use rights and ownership of housing and associated assets on developed land. The Committee made a commitment to issue the certificates within 14 days. Many hope this initiative will help local residents get their certificates soon. — VNS