Local bus operator Transmac – Transportes Urbanos de Macau told Business Daily that it is seeking legal advice over the government’s decision to declare two plots granted to the company invalid, as a report by the city’s graftbuster Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) has pointed out the land concessions for these two plots have already expired in 2013 and 2014. In an investigation report released last week, the commission has criticised the government of “inaction” for failing to declare the land concession invalid in time for three out of 16 plots of land that the landholders were allowed to keep even though they have failed to develop the plots as intended. Two of these three plots, located in Ilha Verde in Macau peninsula and Pac On reclaimed zone in Taipa respectively, were granted to Transmac for building complexes of bus terminals and parking space. “We’re now seeking legal advice [to the land grant issue], and then we’ll look into the legal opinions and see what decision to be made,” said Transmac deputy general manager Kuan Weng Kai. He refused to confirm if his company is going to appeal against the government’s decision to declare the land grants invalid. Mr Kuan has also declined to explain why the land use for the two granted plots has not been fulfilled in the past two decades. CCAC has noted in its report that they understood the government was still in the process of declaring the land granted to Transmac invalid. The temporary land concession for the two plots of Transmac, first granted by the local government in the late 1980s, have already expired on December 19, 2013 and December 28, 2014 respectively, according to the CCAC’s report. The two plots have a combined site area of over 7,800 square metres. By the city’s Land Law, a temporary land concession, which carries a validity of 25 years, can only turn effective when the property project of a site is completed and carries the issuance of an occupation permit. For a site with the temporary land concession not having turned effective and expired, the site will have to be taken back by the government. In a statement released on Monday night, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo Arrais do Rosário was cited as saying that he attached importance to the report released by the CCAC. “Prior to the release of CCAC’s report, the secretary has already instructed the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau to start the process of declaring invalidity to the plots granted under temporary concession that are expiring soon or have already expired,” the statement released by Mr Rosário’s office reads. “As land resources are very important for Macau, the government will abide by the law and defend MSAR’S interest when dealing with these [land concession] cases,” Mr Rosário’s office wrote.
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