A Chinese court has ruled that the central government should consider an appeal by a group of farmers in east China against the seizure of their land for redevelopment, state media reported yesterday.
The eventual outcome of the dispute, however, remains uncertain: The land, on the outskirts of the eastern city of Wuxi, was long ago razed for construction, apart from a small cluster of houses surrounded by rubble.
The case highlighted widespread conflicts over land use rights between individuals and government officials often acting on dubious legal grounds.
According to state media reports, up to 3 million farmers lose their land each year to redevelopment and other projects. Many are dissatisfied with the compensation paid, and protests have cropped up in practically every region.
State-run newspaper China Daily reported yesterday that a court in Beijing overturned a ruling by the Ministry of Land and Resources that the Wuxi farmers could not appeal against the sale of their land use rights,
The ministry had earlier rejected an appeal by the farmers that it reconsider its approval of the land use decision, saying they had missed the deadline for filing. The farmers then sued the ministry, arguing that their application was made within the legal 60-day time limit.
Phone calls to villagers' homes yesterday went unanswered.
Following the decision on Friday by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, the ministry has decided to reconsider, the China Daily cited ministry official Long Bing as saying.
Outraged that local officials had not consulted with them before ordering their homes destroyed, the villagers in Wuxi studied the law, gathered up documents showing their right to live in the village ``in perpetuity'' and took the case to Beijing.
But such documents count for little in disputes with powerful local officials. The people in charge of enforcing the law are often the same ones making deals with real estate developers.
Aware of widespread anger over land seizures and worried by declining grain production, last year China's communist leaders ordered a temporary freeze on conversion of farmland to industrial and residential use.
In many areas, however, the demolitions have continued.
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