City wants to improve handling of public complaints

Handling public complaints in HCM City remains a complicated task since many involve large numbers of people and government staff have limited competence, the HCM City People’s Council concluded at a meeting on Oct 5.

At the HCM City People’s Council's meeting.– VNA/VNS Photo

It called on the People’s Committee to instruct the Inspection Department and other relevant authorities to quickly resolve grievances and improve land administration.

People’s Council Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm said: “There is a tendency of avoiding to take responsibility for resolving complaints by transferring them from one department to others. Local authorities need to properly discuss with the public when there are complaints.”

According to the department, since the beginning of last year there have been 9,400 complaints, a majority related to land compensation and clearance.

“Related authorities have met nearly 100,000 people and 493 groups,” Trần Đình Trữ, head of the department, told the meeting.

Around VNĐ23.4 billion (US$10 million) was paid out to beneficiaries and VNĐ42.2 billion ($18.2 million) was appropriated by the city, he said.

However, the limited capacity of staff in related official agencies and lack of follow-up and oversight caused many cases to drag on for a long time, while the legal framework governing them changed multiple times meantime, he said.

“Co-operation between departments is not close. When one authority sends an official letter to another, it does not insist on a reply and the case remains unsolved ”

Nguyễn Văn Hồng, deputy director of the department of Natural Resources and Environment, said: “The most challenging task for authorities is how to fix a price for land that can benefit owners, investors and the State because the real estate market is not transparent.

“Through discussions and meetings with the public they can acquire more information, and so local authorities should hold more meeting with residents.”

Huỳnh Cách Mạng, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said the city had received more than 20 very complicated complaints this year, 70 per cent of them related to land.

“In future the city will often check the roles played by leaders in meeting and resolving public complaints.”

Tâm said, “Related authorities must consider ways to resolve public grievances.

“It is a fact that authorities meet residents but do not provide a fair solution.

“It has eroded people’s trust in the authorities and the People’s Council.

“Members of the People’s Council must enhance oversight of all cases.”/.

( VNF/VNA )