Services and management will be the top priorities for Beijing this year to prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics and push forward the city's development, said Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan.

 

"To achieve a 'green, high-tech and people-oriented' Olympics, Beijing will pay greater attention to the management of the ecological environment, city appearance, operating environment and social conditions," said Wang yesterday at the ongoing Fifth Session of the 12th Beijing Municipal People's Congress.

 

"This year Beijing will make remarkable progress toward a successful Games by holding frequent testing events."

 

Necessary systems will be put in place to enable Beijing to host the Games.

 

"This transfer will involve the further construction of emergency organization and management systems," Wang said, "especially an emergency response mechanism at the community level."

 

Besides the National Stadium, this year Beijing will complete 30 Olympic competition venues, 45 training venues and five auxiliary facilities and surrounding roads.

 

Beijing will also beautify the areas surrounding Olympic venues, including hotels and connecting roads.

 

The construction of public sites is in full swing, including scenic and forestation projects nearby.

 

"We will strictly control project time frames and ensure engineering security and quality," Wang said. "We will also intensify audit and supervision over all the projects, in line with the government's policy of transparency."

 

The planning and building of public facilities will continue, with the city set to make progress on its transport master plan this year. Four new subway lines will be opened, along with the trial run of the No 5 subway line. And two major fast bus routes, six expressways, three fast urban roads and 17 urban trunk roads will be completed.

 

Bus stations, facilities at bus terminals and parking lots will also be renovated, and the flow of city traffic, cycle lanes and footpaths will be upgraded, speeding up the development of "disability-friendly facilities".

 

Beijing will close more than 1,100 coal-fired boilers below 20 steam tons, speed up the retirement of older vehicles with excessive emissions, carry out vapor recovery and treatment and strictly control dust pollution to improve the city's ecological environment.

 

It will compensate residents to encourage appropriate disposal of rubbish, with a goal of 97 and 60 percent of household garbage to be safely disposed of in the eight urban districts and suburban areas.

 

By the end of this year, Beijing plans to cover 51.6 percent of the city with trees and grass.

 

(China Daily January 27, 2007)