Ministry of Land and Resources staff members have been chatting on the phone more than usual of late.

But no one is goofing around on the job.

The phone calls are part of a new public-inquiry system. It has the goal of relieving the frustration and red tape which have plagued the ministry in the past.

The new way for the ministry to communicate is part of a "customer friendly" approach to deal with clients and business people, officials say.

The number, 16829999, is manned by staff members, including lawyers who will provide free assistance from today on.

The move will help the ministry operate more transparently, said Li Yuan, the ministry's vice-minister.

"The opening up of the ministry's land market and mineral industry, which used to rank among the most strictly controlled economic sectors in the country, has been obviously broadened in the past several years," said Li.

"That's caused many problems." He said officials need to become more familiar with relevant laws in order to improve their knowledge of the system, and ordinary people should learn to use ministry laws and regulations as weapons to safeguard their rights and interests.

During an initial "pilot" operating period for the hotline - which was started at the beginning of this year - more than 1,600 consultation calls were received, 14 per cent of which were from land and resources officials throughout the country, while 55 per cent were phone in by individuals.

Another large category, as many as 26 per cent, includes organizations as mineral companies and real estate developers. Five per cent are lawyers.

The most prevalent callers are clients seeking compensation for losses suffered through incorrect policy decisions or malfeasance.

Another main category involves real estate, including land requisition, the disposal of State-owned enterprise land that has been sold during restructuring, and the handling of land seizures.

"Land requisition has become a hot-button issue," said Zhang Wanli, director-general of the China Legal Affairs Centre for Land Resources.

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