Local governments introduce new measures to handle public complaints

BEIJING - Local governments have specified measures to better settle public complaints, according to the result of a recent inspection on related work by China's National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration (NPCPA).

The measures included setting up dedicated working teams, designating responsible officials and departments, scheduling solution plans and improving communication between the government and the public to ensure the matters are properly resolved, the authority said in an announcement.

Started in September this year, the inspection focused on 24 cases in six provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Shandong, Hunan and Sichuan in areas like land acquisition, household resettlement, social security contribution and environmental protection.

While demanding local governments to report the progress of rectification, the NPCPA also said it would ask them to initiate a formal procedure to hold officials accountable if they fail to fulfill their duties.