Large office building in Shaanxi criticized

The highway management administration in Shanyang county, Shaanxi province, Northwest China, has come under criticism for building a large office building with 106 rooms for its 24 staff members.

A netizen brought the case to light online last week.

According to Zhu Shengqiao, Party secretary of the road administration, the 6-story office building for his 24-member administration was built with a superior awareness of its future development.

Zhu told Huashang Daily that, although the administration has only 24 staff members now, there are a number of temporary staff and workers in its conservation center. The building will also be used for technical training.

The building, comprising 3,516 square meters, was completed earlier this month. The construction was approved by relevant county governmental departments, Zhu said.

The Construction Standards for Office Space of Party and Government Organs issued by the National Development and Reform Commission in January 2009 stated that the floor area of an office building for the highway administration should be 6 square meters per person.