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Clean-up operations are under way at Tiananmen Gate. Photo: AFP

Clean-up of Tiananmen Square area ahead of National Day, party congress

Sanitation teams will work around the clock in the run-up to National Day and party congress

Beijing has launched a massive campaign to spruce up Tiananmen Square and its surroundings ahead of the upcoming National Day celebrations and the Communist Party's once-in-a-decade change of power.

The Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment wants the square's pavement to be "clean enough for people to sit on the ground" by the time the clean-up effort is finished, reported yesterday.

Sanitation workers would be deployed around the clock from September 20 to 27 and would pay special attention to parks, pedestrian overpasses, transport stations and public toilets.

Illegal notices on walls and buildings would be targeted and checks on nearby construction projects would be stepped up to curb air pollution.

The report said sanitation workers would be deployed to Tiananmen Square and its environs during the National Day holiday to ensure public facilities remain clean.

Aside from National Day, Beijing is also preparing to host the entire top leadership of the Communist Party as they prepare to gather for its 18th national congress, during which General Secretary Hu Jintao is expected to hand over the reins to Xi Jinping .

Some party insiders are worried the political gathering may attract a flood of petitioners into the capital.

During an inspection in Hebei province earlier this week, Politburo member Wang Lequan , who is deputy secretary of the party's political and legal affairs commission, urged security departments at all levels to step up measures ahead of the party congress, reported.

Wang called for better efforts by local authorities to safeguard national security, ensure social political stability and address social problems at their source.

Meanwhile, supervision teams led by top party officials from major government agencies have been sent to provinces across the country, including big cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, to supervise the work of staff handling petitions, according to local newspaper reports.

Teams were also sent to areas of Hunan , Guangdong and Shandong , where land disputes have intensified.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing launches clean-up campaign
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