Beijing's legislature today discussed a revision of a local law on environmental sanitation meant to mete out harsher punishment for activities that damage the environment or the image of the city.

Meanwhile, a batch of new regulations closely related to quality of life will come into effect today.

The newly revised Beijing environmental and sanitary regulation is expected to give the capital city a facelift as the Olympic Games approach, said Lu Haijun, director of the Beijing Municipal Administration Commission.

Illegal construction and advertisements will be subject to harsher crackdowns and may face much heavier fines than before, according to the Beijing Metropolis Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Regulations, whose revision is undergoing discussion by the 32nd Session of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress.

Enterprises or individuals that utilize or organize commercial promotion through hand bill distribution, posted ads or street paintings may have their illegal income confiscated and could be fined as much as 500,000 yuan (US$ 63,300), 50 times more than previously. Companies which dump garbage illegally may face fines as high as 50,000 yuan (US$6,330).

Major changes were made in 38 of the total 74 articles in the original regulation, which was put into effect in 2002.

"It is rare for such huge revisions to occur in such a short time," said Meng Qiao, deputy director of the Office of Urban Construction and Environment Protection of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, "which shows the city's determination to meet the rising demand for a better environment and the environmental goal of the Olympics."

The city's food catering business will also have to declare their kitchen garbage in the future as a move to stem out arbitrary disposal or the secret sale of foodstuff.

A series of new food safety regulations were also put into effect today, including the requirement that aquatic products receive quarantine certificates and produce area labels before entering the Beijing market, and that pasteurized milk not be labelled as fresh.