Expensive projects ignite public outcry

By Jane Chen | July 16, 2010, Friday |

Online Edition

GOVERNMENTS of a poor county and a city have been accused of squandering money on projects that were described as luxurious yet useless.

Ganzhou City in east China's Jiangxi Province unveiled a huge clock tower yesterday. The 113-meter-high tower, with a mechanical clock imported from Britain, claimed to overtake Big Ben as the world's biggest clock with a diameter of 12.8 meters, People.com.cn reported today.

The tower cost 290 million yuan (US$42.79 million), compared with total city income of 11.1 billion yuan last year.

The city, with a population of 9 million, has eight counties under its administration officially designated as poor.

In Puxian County of north China's Shanxi Province, the local government has earmarked up 118 million yuan to build a cultural hall that looks like Beijing's National Stadium, or "Bird's Nest."

The cost mounted to a third of the county's total annual fiscal income, local residents complained.

They said the luxury structure, capable of accommodating 3,000 people or one-tenth of the county's total population, is far too expensive for local people.

People blamed officials' political ambition for the luxury projects, saying the money should be spent to improve local people's daily life instead, the report said.

Some even suggested corruption could be involved as there was no supervision during construction of the projects.

But Puxian's officials said they started the project after getting approval from superior officials, the report said.

Qiao Jianjun, Puxian's Party secretary, said he believed the new hall would improve people's daily lives.

Nation

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
|
互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

Expensive projects ignite public outcry

Email this to your friend