China set to curb illegal land acquisitions
By Xiao Guo (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-06-19 17:48 The Chinese government is showing its tough stance
on illegal land acquisitions in connection with provincial governments, in a bid
to reign in illicit land use, which may touch off instability across the nation,
the China Economic Times reports on June 19.
China's soaring real estate sector, which some experts say shows signs of
over-heating, has made illegal land acquisitions and sales headlines throughout
the country, which is likely to ignite resentment across China's
lesser-developed rural areas.
Over 60 per cent of land use is illegal, state media reported early this
month.
The Ministry of Land and Resources is calling for a thorough investigation
into illegal land use and sales, which are against national land management plan
and polices, especially illicit land use of farmland, which are mostly used for
real estate sector, the newspaper says.
An investigation conducted by the ministry in 2005 showed the number and
total area of illegal land acquisition cases accounted 63.8 per cent and 52.8
per cent respectively of newly-allocated construction projects in 70 districts
in 15 cities, the China Daily newspaper reported.
"China is in the face of tough situations in illegal land use control due to
a large number of misconducts, " Land Resources Supervision Bureau director
Zhang Xinbao told the paper.
"In the first five months of 2006, the ministry found the total acreage of
illegal land use rose by 20 percent compared with the same period of last year."
Zhang said, without giving any further details.
"Illegal land use is rampant in some areas and China has seen more and more
illegal land use in connection with provincial governments," Zhang says.
"Illegal use of the land will lead to the sabotage of the rights of the
farmers and the country," says Zhang.
|
