Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng vowed to tackle the most important
problems affecting city residents this year when delivering the
government work report at the annual session of the Fourth Shenzhen
Municipal People's Congress that started yesterday.
Providing solutions to problems related to people's daily lives
-- including education, health, employment, social insurance, and
food safety -- was listed as the No. 1 task for the government.
"We will increase input into the education sector and speed up
drawing up plans for basic education in Longgang and Bao'an
Districts," said Xu, who also pledged to expand high school
education, and regulate private schools.
To lower medical expenses and ease the shortage of medical
resources, Xu said his government would start constructing key
medical facilities like Shenzhen No. 3 People's Hospital and Binhai
Hospital, establish more community health centers, and encourage
the development of private medical institutions.
Xu promised to create job opportunities, raise the minimum pay,
expand social security, and improve food safety.
Meanwhile, Xu vowed to improve the water quality in the city's
major rivers, build nine major parks and 50 community parks by the
end of the year, and impose "the strictest control" on areas under
ecological protection. The national standard III for auto emissions
will be implemented in 2006 to reduce air pollution, he said.
He also promised to speed up construction of a modern road
network linking the entire city and upgrade the police force with
modern technology and dispatch more police to neighborhoods.
(Shenzhen Daily March 23, 2006)