Illegal construction villas targeted by central government

The central government has sent a group to rectify problems of illegal villa construction at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province and vowed to hold accountable anyone found violating laws and regulations.

Xu Lingyi, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is heading the team, and dismantling of the villas started on Monday.

Qinling Mountains, a major west-east mountain range in southern Shaanxi province, supports a huge variety of plants and wildlife. Many unapproved villas have been built on its northern side since 1997, occupying farms and forests, and causing pollution, according to the CCDI website.