Vacant affordable housing shames local leaders

THE NATIONAL AUDIT Office recently disclosed that over 30,000 affordable houses in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, have been uninhabited for two years because there is no water or electricity supply or road link. The local officials responsible for this waste of resources should be held accountable, says Beijing News:

Ironically, on March 24, the local State-run newspaper Guizhou Daily praised the provincial leadership for accelerating the construction of affordable housing. The local leaders claimed they were investing heavily in such housing and planned to construct 1.96 million apartments for low-income residents.

It seems the local officials take affordable housing merely as their own glorious achievement rather than necessary homes for those on low incomes. These apartments are not useable without utilities and a connecting road. It is a waste of money and labor, which should shame the local officials.