More than 176,800sq.m of agricultural land in Phan Thiết City was transferred to residential land from early 2016 until September 2018. Photo nhandan.com.vn

BÌNH THUẬN More than 176,800sq.m of agricultural land in Phan Thiết City had its status changed to residential land from early 2016 until September 2018 in wrongful decisions by the city’s People’s Committee.

Inspectors of the People’s Committee of Bình Thuận Province recently concluded that municipal officials erred in approving the transfers.

They said the city’s People’s Committee approved land use planning which was inconsistent with planning approved by provincial People’s Committee.

This allowed local people to build houses on agricultural land.

The households leveled the ground surface, combined or divided land areas and built infrastructure on the land lots, breaking regulations on construction standards and new rural area construction.

The lots are located on Tiến Lợi, Thiện Nghiệp and Phong Nam communes.

The municipal People’s Committee’s decision violated the Land Law and caused waste to the State budget, according to the inspectors.

The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment overlooked the decision made by the committee and was therefore responsible.

The inspectors also blamed Phan Thiết City’s People’s Committee, the city’s natural resources and environment division, the city’s land registration office, the city’s Tax Department and people’s committees of the involved communes.

The case file will be transferred to the provincial police for investigation.

Bình Thuận Province’s People’s Committee asked chairman of Phan Thiết City’s People’s Committee to impose strict penalties on violators, including those who illegally built infrastructure on agricultural land and formed new residential areas. VNS