In addition to further reforming administrative procedures, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Hung Yen province has advised and carried out many solutions to effectively manage and exploit natural and environmental resources and help people and businesses access land, said Mr. Nguyen Van Phu, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, in an interview to this effect granted to Vietnam Business Forum’s reporters.
Vinhomes Ocean Park developed by Vingroup is a large-scale ecological urban area located in Van Giang district, Hung Yen province
What solutions has the natural resources and environment sector advised and carried out to boost Hung Yen's economic growth, investment attraction and governance improvement?
While informing and disseminating laws on natural resources, the sector has advised the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People's Committee to issue documents on direction, administration and management, based on local situations. For example, the Department of Science and Technology consulted the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee to issue Directive 15-CT/TU dated November 8, 2021 on strengthening the leadership, direction and implementation of site clearance for projects in the province; advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue Decision 09/2022/QD-UBND dated March 22, 2022 on review, public announcement, consultation and land allocation and lease for small and narrow parcels of State-managed land, conditions, criteria, scale and ratio to separate the public land area into parcels for independent projects to auction land use rights.
The department also gave its opinions on investment projects and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for high-risk projects; advised on refusals to projects that are likely to cause environmental pollution; appraised environmental impact assessment reports and issued environmental permits; and inspected and supervised the operation and testing of waste treatment facilities.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment properly carried out land reclamation, land compensation, resident support and resettlement; conducted land allocation and lease, land repurposing and land-use rights granting in line with the current law; regularly studied, amended and supplemented regulations to ensure legal rights and interests of the people whose land is reclaimed.
The department also coordinated with relevant agencies and localities to launch land-use right auctioning events to collect money for infrastructure construction investment; advised the Provincial People's Committee to effectively direct the removal of illegal constructions on agricultural land, on traffic corridors, irrigation systems and ports.
Besides, it strictly administered, examined and inspected the observance of laws on water resources; actively improved surveying and cartographic management; and coordinated in closely supervising and managing mining activities of organizations and individuals. It also received citizen submissions of complaints and denunciations.
In 2022, Hung Yen's Land Access Index scored 7.63 points, 0.59 points higher than in 2021, ranked 5th out of 63 provinces and cities. What do you think about this result?
The Land Access Index of the province has stayed high in recent years, partly driven by the close direction of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to departments, sectors and localities to carry out many consistent solutions to create a favorable investment environment and improve the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). The Department of Natural Resources and Environment advised the Provincial People's Committee to adopt various solutions to facilitate land access for people and businesses. Specifically, it consulted the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to issue Directive 12/CT-CTUBND dated September 23, 2021 on effective implementation of solutions and raised the sense of responsibility, spirit, attitude and quality of the service performed by civil servants in order to increase the PCI Index.
The department also appraised and counseled the Provincial People's Committee to ratify district-level land use plans to 2030 (in January 2022) and annual land use plans to provide a regulatory framework for land recovery, land allocation, land lease and land repurposing. Land use plans were publicly announced. Currently, the agency is advising the Provincial People's Committee to finalize the land use plan for the 2021-2025 period.
The agency actively coordinated site clearance; streamlined the order, procedures and time for carrying out land allocation and leasing procedures; regularly worked with agencies to consider and propose amendments and supplements to current legal regulations on land and other documents that hindered implementation.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment provided online public services of Level 3 for 12 administrative procedures and Level 4 for 21 administrative procedures out of a total of 33 land-related administrative procedures under its jurisdiction. Administrative procedures concerning land registration and land use right certification are updated in the cadastral database system, helping investors to easily look up and mine information when they need it.
In your opinion, how has accelerated administrative reform, especially administrative procedure reform, facilitated people and businesses?
Currently, all administrative procedures under its jurisdiction are received and entered into the database on the province's electronic single-window software, enabling people and businesses to submit documents online on the software, track the settlement process, receive results on the software or through the public postal service. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has provided public services of Level 3 for 29 administrative procedures and Level 4 for 47 administrative procedures, and at the same time issued documents to guide and encourage organizations and businesses to submit online applications and assigned online service targets to its subordinated agencies.
Up to now, land administrative procedures have been continuously streamlined, such as reducing the time for land lease term changing from 15 days to 7 days, land allocation or land lease procedures from 30 days to 20 days, and procedures of land allocation, lease and repurposing request from 30 days to 15 days.
How has the Department of Natural Resources and Environment commented on selective investment attraction, resource economy, environmental pollution reduction and other issues? What are solutions to help investors access local resources in the coming time?
Adhering to directions of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on promoting investment attraction for resources-efficient, environmentally friendly projects, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment actively advised the Provincial People's Committee to carry out such tasks as: Formulating, adjusting and managing master plans and detailed plans on land use, with the land fund allocated reasonably to the province's socioeconomic development; strengthening land-use examination and inspection; and resolutely proposing termination to projects that are slowly deployed and put into use or infringe on the land law. The department advised the Provincial People's Committee to accept projects in accordance with master plans and detailed plans on land use to ensure resource and land efficiency and consulted the committee to grant permits for extraction and efficient use of water and mineral resources.
In the coming time, the department will continue to inform and disseminate laws on natural resources; advise the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council and the Provincial People’s Committee to promptly issue regulatory documents, publicize approved plans, guide and urge districts, towns and cities to review and adjust local land-use plans in line with master plans approved by superior authorities; and reinforce inspection and supervision of approved master plans and specific plans on land.
The department will work closely with relevant agencies to instruct and remove difficulties and obstacles for localities in site clearance to provide a clean land fund and hand over business sites to investors soon.
Moreover, it will continue to accelerate reform and simplification of administrative procedures related to land, environment, water resources and minerals; review and propose competent authorities to amend, supplement or replace administrative procedures that are no longer appropriate; continue to uphold the sense of responsibility and self-discipline in the performance of official duties of public employees; and resolutely prevent and handle public employees that harass and trouble citizens and businesses.
Thank you very much!
By Ngo Khuyen, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi