Sloppy officials face the music

Officials from the bureau of urban management in Chenzhou, Hunan province were sent to a chemical warehouse on June 15 to review a complaint about environmental pollution after a resident, Chen Zhenling, called a complaint hotline to report the problem. [Photo/China Daily]

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Officials visit a chemical warehouse on June 15 after reports from residents that toxic gases from sulfuric and hydrochloric acids were still leaking into their neighborhood. [Photo/China Daily]

Crackdown on shoddy work gains praise. Hu Yongqi reports from Chenzhou, Hunan.

Chen Zhenling feels lucky this year. The toxic fumes emanating from a chemical warehouse in her neighborhood are about to be dispersed for good.

The 45-year-old insurance agent moved to the Huize neighborhood in Chenzhou in Hunan province in 2008. However, she soon discovered that a chemical warehouse storing sulfuric and hydrochloric acids was situated less than 30 meters from her apartment. Every day, her husband and son suffered from the fumes and pungent smells as the chemicals were sold from large plastic containers.

She became anxious about the consequences: People are more vulnerable to throat infections and even cancer of the respiratory tract if exposed to the acids over a prolonged period, according to the doctors she consulted. Moreover, Chen was particularly worried about her 10-year-old son. She was 35 when the boy was born, meaning that she was unlikely to have any more children. The boy was invaluable to the family and no harm was allowed to befall him.

Chen and her neighbors quickly submitted complaints to the Chenzhou bureau of environmental protection. The bureau said it could conduct tests, but wouldn't be able to enforce the law against the warehouse owner. The ball was then kicked to the urban management bureau, but it simply notified Chen of a shortage of testing equipment.

Hope dawned in February when a campaign to crack down on inefficient officials got under way. The protagonists aim to eradicate neglect of duty and other malpractice, such as graft or gambling. In total, 28 complaint offices, led by the Chenzhou commission for discipline inspection, were set up in 19 city government departments and nine district or county governments. Residents file complaints to the offices, which can then urge other departments to resolve proven problems.

In April, Chen called a complaint hotline and explained her problem. Ten days later, officials from the bureaus of environmental protection and urban management visited the warehouse. The owner Jiang Tiejun promised to seal the containers until June 15 and to close the facility entirely by July 30.

"My husband and I did not expect them (the officials) to act so swiftly. This time, we feel we're getting more attention from the city government because the complaint office is pushing for a solution," said Chen.

Recently, a number of local governments in China have cracked down on officials who have long been a byword for indolence and inefficiency. Overall, Chenzhou residents agree that they have gained from the crackdown and want it installed as a long-term mechanism instead of a short-term measure.