Hà Nội’s People’s Committee has urged the People’s Committee in Sóc Sơn District to review their management of agricultural land after local households have reportedly illegally built houses on farmland.  — Photo giadinh.net

HÀ NỘI – Hà Nội’s People’s Committee has urged the People’s Committee in Sóc Sơn District to review their management of agricultural land after local households have reportedly illegally built houses on farmland.  

In a document sent to Sóc Sơn authorities, chairman of the city’s committee Nguyễn Đức Chung required the local committee to re-examine the illegal building of houses on agricultural land and propose punishment for violations.

Organisations and individuals involved in the misuse of local farmland would take responsibility for the illegal building. The report must be submitted to the committee before August 30, he said yesterday.

The move was made after local press found houses in Sóc Sơn District’s Việt Long Commune that had been built without licences on farmland, many of which were built years ago without the supervision of the local people’s committee.

Nguyễn Tiến Đích, a resident in the commune said that he signed contract to hire 756 square metres of land from Tăng Long Agricultural Services Corporative in 1995 and built a temporary house on it five years later.

Last July, he decided to re-build the house. Although the construction process was suspended, Đích completed the house early this year.

Đích admitted that the house was built without a construction licence or a land use right certificate. However, he said he has just upgraded the house.

Đích said he has been paying fees for the use of non-agricultural land for years.

“Nobody asks for permission to build houses here,” he said, “we’re farmers, and we build houses when we have money.”  

Nguyễn Thị Dung and Nguyễn Văn Đá, two residents in the commune, also built their houses on agricultural land in 2014 although local authorities attempted to halt the construction.

Figures from the communal People’s Committee showed that nearly 30 houses were built on farmland.

Nguyễn Ngọc Chuyền, chairman of the communal People’s Committee said that the committee had inspected the situation and reported to the district authority.

Last October, the district People’s Committee required the households to suspend construction. However, many continued building.

Chuyền admitted that the local authority found it hard to crack down on the construction as many have been paying fees for non-agricultural land for the land they’ve been using.

Đỗ Minh Tuấn, vice chairman of Sóc Sơn District’s People’s Committee said that the committee revised land documents to specify the area of agricultural land in the district and the origin of the land these houses were built on, affirming that violations would be fined. – VNS