The Chinese government has extended the highway toll exemptions
for trucks carrying food to help snow disaster relief work and
reconstruction in areas affected by the severe winter weather of
the last month, the Ministry of Communications has announced.
A notice on the ministry's website says the "green channel"
service, which allows vehicles carrying agricultural products
toll-free of seven major arteries, will be extended until March
31.
The highways include the north-south Yinchuan-Kunming,
Hohhot-Nanning, Beijing-Haikou, Harbin-Haikou and Shanghai-Haikou
routes, and the east-west Lianyungang-Urumqi and Shanghai-Lhasa
routes.
Extending a total 27,000 kilometers, they connect 29 provincial
capitals and 71 major and medium-size cities.
The move was aimed at maintaining stable food supplies and
ensuring price stability for larger cities, said the notice.
Vehicles carrying steel structures, conduits, cable, cement
poles,hardware, and construction equipment to restore electricity
facilities would also be exempted from tolls.
Drivers are reminded that they must use passes with "green
channel" logos when passing toll gates.
The ministry launched the "green channel" service on Jan. 25 to
meet the rising demand of food during China's Lunar New Year, which
fell on Feb. 7 this year. The service was due to end on Feb. 5 this
year.
In the past month, prolonged low temperatures, icy rain and
heavy snow have disrupted southern China.
A total of 21 provincial-level areas have been affected, with
Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hubei, Zhejiang, Sichuan and the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region being the worst hit. The weather
left 107 people dead and caused 15.4 billion U.S. dollars in
losses.
China opens the "green channel" annually to meet festive
transport emergencies, which usually last about ten days.
(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2008)