Step up pollution control

As more public complaints about pollution emerged in recent years, the commission made environmental protection one of its top concerns.

Since 2005, local discipline inspection commissions have kept a close watch over the heavy-polluting industries in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions.

During the first half of last year, it put on file and investigated more than 400 violations of environmental laws and regulations and punished more than 200 individuals.

The commission also sent 20 teams of inspectors across the country who were looking to curb foolhardy investment, construction of unnecessary and wasteful "image projects" and development that harmed the local environment.

The commission along with the Ministry of Supervision and the State Environmental Protection Agency jointly enacted last February interim regulations governing the country's comprehensive environmental protection laws.

It is now a dereliction of duty for officials to develop their local economies at the expense of the environment.

Promote government transparency

The commission's team of inspectors are also checking the performance of local governments and state-owned enterprises to ensure officials and managers are making their administrative powers transparent to public scrutiny.

By last July, the commission had inspected the procedures, regulations and administration of 31 provincial governments, four State asset management corporations and nine state-controlled banks.

Provincial government commissions also inspected the administration of government and state-owned enterprises within their jurisdiction.

More than 10,000 government officials were called into account for slack law enforcement in the first half of this year.

The commission has also worked to inform the public of the scope of the government's administrative powers. Many governments and departments have established websites that detail their regulations, powers and development plans. Many central government departments also hold regular news conferences where they inform the media of regulatory changes or new projects.

So far, 85 percent of county-level governments and 83 percent of the city-level governments have opened administrative affairs and decision making to public purview.

The commission's work over the past couple of years has helped improve social fairness, justice and the image of governments and the Party, analysts say.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2007)