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Beijing vice mayor emphasizes on firework
(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2006-12-21 16:41
Locals select fireworks at a certificated booth before the 2006 Spring Festival. Beijing municipal government revised related regulations to allow residents to set off fireworks during regulated time spans at permitted places during the Spring Festival. [Xinhua] |
Beijing citizens are banned from setting off firecrackers within the Fifth Ring Road on New Year's Day, but can enjoy fireworks during regulated time spans at permitted places during the Spring Festival in 2007.
At a Wednesday meeting, the city's vice-mayor, Lu Hao said the fireworks sale will be still under control of the government next year and safety is above all concerns in the government's work.
Besides booths with certificates, citizens can buy fireworks at designated supermarkets for the first time, Lu added, revealing 13 specific warehouses have been built in Beijing used for fireworks storage and 370,000 boxes of fireworks are planned to be put on the market for the New Year and the Spring Festival.
Citizens complained about the high price of fireworks during the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2006. The vice mayor said prices at the wholesale and retail markets will be published to society this year, which will be also under the supervision of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, the city's price watchdog, to rein in the possible price hike.
The city's authorities handled 75 firework cases after the 2006 spring festival, confiscating more than 140 million firecrackers from unauthorized dealers.
The capital city has established a certificate system for firework sellers, stipulating dealers must pass an exam prior to the admission to the market. The regulation also rules that sellers' qualifications will be annulled if they are found involved in illegal firework businesses and they will be not allowed to requalify for three years.
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