China’s eco-warriors target polluters and officials in expanded nationwide checks
Inspectors will fan out across the country to help clear the air but one analyst calls for more rigid enforcement of rules against pollution
China’s top environmental watchdog will roll out spot checks on firms and local governments across the country this year to try to rein in pollution, state media reported on Monday.
But one analyst said the authorities should adopt a systematic approach to ensure general compliance with environmental legislation rather than relying just on random inspections.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection was last year given powers to carry out inspections without warning and call local authorities or company officials to account. In a first wave of spot checks that year, teams were sent to 16 cities and provinces, including Beijing and Shanghai.
The checks are not meant to resolve any specific environmental problems but to asses how well officials were applying central government policy.
The results of the checks were included in reports sent to the Communist Party’s Central Committee and used to judge each cadre’s job performance.
Environmental Protection Minister Chen Jining told a forum on Sunday that about 6,400 people were punished or held responsible as a result of breaches uncovered in last year’s spot checks, China Youth Daily reported. The inspections would be expanded and carried out across the country this year, Chen was quoted as saying.