The Cabinet would rethink rules about public reporting of land misuse, as the government should promote cooperation among neighbors rather than antagonism, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said that rewards for reporting regulatory violations should be removed through amendments to the Spatial Planning Act (國土計畫法).
Instead, additional funding and personnel should be allocated by the Executive Yuan to enhance investigations, Chiu said.
Photo: CNA
Otherwise, habitual informants, also known as “tip-off fiends,” might prompt farmworkers to “fight against the government with their hoes,” Chiu said, adding that drones could also be used to help determine whether land was being used improperly.
The rewards for reports should be reconsidered, as the government should encourage people to support rather than monitor each other, Cho said, adding that he agreed investigations should be conducted through government agencies and with technological aids.
TECHNOLOGY
Satellite image reporting systems can provide details that are more accurate than those from “tip-off fiends,” Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said, adding that anachronisms of the act are open to discussion, as the regulations were formulated in 2015.
Once amendments take effect on April 30 next year, land zoned for agricultural use cannot be switched to construction use and sold without permission from the government.
The Ministry of Agriculture should have a reasonable compensation or reward mechanism in place for farm owners with agricultural land classified as Type 1 or Type 2 in appreciation for their support of the government’s sustainability policy, especially as they could have made a lot more money by having it rezoned to construction land and selling, Chiu said.
The act defines Type 1 agricultural development zones as “areas with excellent environments for agricultural production that can contribute to food security or have important agricultural facilities that have been improved.”
It describes Type 2 zones as “areas with decent environments for agricultural production that can contribute to food security and support agricultural diversity.”
Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said that most agricultural resources would be allocated to Type 1 and Type 2 land, particularly infrastructure, such as farm roads and waterways.
The ministry would increase payments for environmental services on farmland as well, Chen added.
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