He Guoqiang, a top Chinese discipline inspection official, has stressed the supervision in reconstruction of the quake-hit region and settlement of people affected by the massive quake during his three-day visit to the southwestern Sichuan Province.

He, the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection secretary, urged the local government to ensure open and transparent use of relief materials and severe punishment over violations of law and discipline.

The top anti-graft official encouraged local discipline inspection officials to better supervise the use of relief goods.

"Situation is still severe as the reconstruction and quake-hit people settlement work has entered its initial phase. More efforts should be made to carefully outline reconstruction work, restore production as early as possible and boost the leading role of local CPC members," He told local officials.

He said the settlement and reconstruction should go hand-in-hand with the local economic and social development.

Upon his arrival on Friday afternoon in the provincial capital Chengdu, He carefully comforted the injured and inquired about their injury treatment.

"You have been strong enough to survive the quake, now you must be strong enough to struggle with the injury," said the official, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He encouraged medical staff to spare no effort to treat the injured.

On early Saturday morning, He took a train to the nearby Dujiangyan City, 90 kilometers southeast of the epicenter, and later changed a off-highway vehicle venturing along the steep mountainous road.

At a center for the relief materials storage, He urged staff members to earnestly perform their duties and carefully monitor the distribution of relief capital and goods so as to ensure them to be allocated to those in need.

On his visit to Beichuan County, one of the hard-hit areas during the quake, He braved rain and walked on after the trip was stopped by landslides. He looked solemn when he oversaw the devastated county which was flattened by the 8.0-magnitude quake on may 12.

Statistics show the death toll of the massive earthquake was 69,170 as of Sunday noon while the number of missing people reduced by one.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2008)