The HCM City People’s Committee has sought an explanation from all related authorities for why the owners of 17,300 apartments and houses have not received title deeds.— Photo daidoanket.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee has sought an explanation from all related authorities for why the owners of 17,300 apartments and houses have not received title deeds.

Speaking at a meeting with the city People’s Council on Friday to discuss the issue, People’s Committee deputy chairman Trần Vĩnh Tuyến said the reports had to be submitted before November 30.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, so far more than 1.5 million land and house certificates have been issued, representing 95.8 per cent of the total number.

“The 17,300 apartments and houses have not received certificates because [of violation] like illegal land encroachment, construction violation or land not designated for housing,” Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper quoted Nguyễn Văn Hồng, deputy director of the department, as saying.

Over 2,000 of the 17,300 owners have filed complaints to related authorities.

Trương Trung Kiên, head of the People’s Council’s Urban Commission, said: “Only 20 per cent of the complaints have been resolved by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the remaining 80 per cent have been transferred to other authorities.

“We would like to know what happened to the remaining 80 per cent. One of the reasons for the situation is that regulations are not very clear and the staff are not good enough and provide wrong guidance to the public.”

Nguyễn Toàn Thắng, director of the department, said: “It is very hard to classify the complaints. We are installing a special software to deal with the problem.”

The department has divided the 17,300 cases into four categories.

“For example, the city has asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to issue land deeds for those who bought land without deeds between January 1, 2008, and July 1, 2014, when the Land Law came into effect.”

The department had also recommended that the city should issue house certificates, known as pink books, to people owning apartments in projects for which the developers did not pay the land tax, he said.

“The [owners] will receive the certificates while the developers will be punished later.

“Around 10,000 houses and apartments would receive the certificates soon.”

Tuyến said the number of certificates issued so far is enormous. “Each month, the natural resource and environment department issues 58,000 more.

“The limited proficiency of staff is also one of the reasons for the situation. Out of 1,200 people in jobs related to the grant of land and housing certificates, half work on short-term contracts and are not motivated.

“By November 30, all related authorities must submit their solutions for the problem and by December 31, authorities must resolve the 17,300 cases.

“If anyone fails to meet the deadline, their leaders will be penalised, even demoted.”

Tuyến also warned local authorities to provide proper answers to the public’s queries saying recently three cases had been rejected by district officials who were later proven wrong when the aggrieved people complained.

Phạm Đức Hải, deputy chairman of the People’s Council, said: “The city People’s Committee has taken strong actions to issue land and housing certificates but the city should pay more attention to improving the quality of its workers and public knowledge of the Land Law.” — VNS