Metro Special
Top city initiatives
By Yang Wanli and Wang Wen (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-28 08:08
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As the capital continues to grow, this year's plans and rules have managed to keep everything moving smoothly. Yang Wanli and Wang Wen find out more.
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Crackdowns on illegal entertainment The city's police department unleashed a massive campaign this year against businesses that act as fronts for prostitution and drugs. The crackdown began on April 11 with the closure of the nightclub Heaven Earth - also known as Passion Nightclub - where prostitutes were allegedly readily available. City police have also given training to more than 70,000 employees of bathing houses, KTV clubs and massage parlors, offering tips on stopping prostitution since the start of the campaign. The police promote the campaign on the 11th of every month to continually monitor the situation. |
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First-time regulations for cemeteries The city's first rule on the construction of cemeteries is ready to be released in January 2011.The regulation consists of three parts, the first of which relates to the location of the facilities and the burial of ashes. After this section is completed, a further two parts will be released to strengthen the rule. The regulation, drawn up by the Beijing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision and the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs, also notes that emergency shelters can now be constructed within cemetery grounds. |
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Family doctors become community features The Beijing Health Bureau announced that family doctors - those working in residential clinics and offering some outcall services - would be popularized around the city in 2011. As a pilot project, Tongzhou district arranged 480 medical staff in 570 villages and residential centers to serve as family doctors. The project, launched in September this year, began by covering only 60,000 families. It is expected to grow quickly and should cover about 1 million residents in the district by 2011. Following its success, Xicheng district also decided to launch a similar family doctor policy. |
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Yongding River restoration project The city's Yongding River restoration project has benefits both economically and ecologically, including promoting a balanced development in Beijing and recharging the dwindling groundwater.About three-quarters of the first-stage of construction was finished by Dec 6, when circulation pipes connecting four lakes along the river were paved and tested. At the Beijing International Forum on the Revitalization of the Western Area on Oct 12, planners revealed more than a dozen economic development areas, comprising a total area of 5,650 hectares in the west of the city along the Yongding River. |
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Medical insurance for more people More citizens are enjoying medical insurance this year than ever before, according to the city's Health Bureau. The rate of residents with medical insurance, both in rural and urban Beijing, managed to hit 90 percent at the end of 2010. Moreover, the maximum claim allowance for workers in the city increased from 170,000 to 300,000 yuan. The upper limit for the elderly people and minors also climbed, from 70,000 to 150,000 yuan, meaning that people from all walks of life were safer than ever. |
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Self-help utility payment machines installed The project, named as the "Three Links Engineering Plan", is intended to help residents use a single card to pay for water, electricity, gas and telecommunication services, without incurring any additional fees. More than 16,000 self-help terminals were set up in large communities, office areas, hospitals and along the main commercial streets. Residents can pay for 47 items on the high-tech machines, such as power bills and various financial transactions. The local government also plans to promote portable home Point of Sale machines to about 20,000 families by the end of 2010. Through them, residents can pay their bills at home. |
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Restaurant discounts for senior citizens The city's senior citizens (over 60 years old) can now enjoy meals at an 80-percent discount at 4,586 tables, located in thousands of restaurants across the city. They can also have their meals delivered to their door for free. Furthermore, those over 80 years old are being given vouchers each month, valued at 100 yuan, either to dine out or have their hair cut.By May 1 this year, the "Senior Table" project had covered more than 2,600 communities with 1,500 enterprises offering helping hands to the elderly. All restaurants involved are being given regular checks to guarantee the quality of food and service. By the end of 2010, the municipal government had allocated 430 million yuan to subsidize the dining vouchers for elderly and disabled people. |
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More kindergartens to be built A lack of kindergartens in the capital has become a key issue for parents who gave birth in 2007 and 2008. There was a massive baby boom in those years since it was the Chinese Year of the Pig and also the period of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Together, they were regarded to be an auspicious time for childbirth. The Beijing Municipal Education Commission pledged to solve the problem by expanding the size of existing kindergartens and build new ones. In 2010, the municipal government invested 90 million yuan to renovate existing buildings and build another 30 kindergartens. Tens of thousands of children are predicted to benefit from the policy. |
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Plans to curb traffic problems The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport released its most recent plan to ease the capital's gridlock on Dec 23, by sharply limiting new vehicle registrations. Only 240,000 vehicles, about one-third of this year's figure, will be registered in Beijing next year. Car registration will be allocated by a license-plate lottery system. Private car buyers can purchase 88 percent of the monthly average, with 2 percent reserved for commercial use. The remaining 10 percent will go to companies, government institutions and others. Traffic jams in Beijing have worsened recently. As of Dec 19, the capital had 4.76 million vehicles, 700,000 more than that at the beginning of 2010 and contrasting with 2.6 million in 2005. China eclipsed the US as the world's biggest auto market in 2009, but worsening air quality and traffic have become hazards in major Chinese cities. |
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