China seeks speed-quality balance in post-quake reconstruction

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-24 23:43

CHENGDU -- For Huang Zhongmo, a farmer in Dacheng village of Mianzhu city whose life was devastated by a strong 8.0-magnitude earthquake in last May, the simple dream of lounging leisurely on a sofa in his 70-square-meter house is being fulfilled.

The family of the 56-year-old man moved into a new permanent building on Friday, almost two months ahead of schedule. He is one of the ten million Sichuan people whose homes were devastated by the quake.

Huang has yet to know that completion of his new house is in accordance with the Sichuan Provincial government's promise to "complete the three-year tasks of reconstruction within only two years."

However, the farmer is still worried that many things need to be done before his normal life restores.

China's plan to accelerate reconstruction of the quake zones, which also helps stimulate the country's economy, is a massive package involving infrastructure facilities, schools, medical institutions and many other welfare projects.

An incomplete list of the projects includes 4.5 million homes, 51,000 km of roads and 5,500 km of railways -- and also millions of job opportunities.

Workers from 20 provinces are involved in the reconstruction effort. Those provinces will allocate at least 1 percent of their annual fiscal revenue into the reconstruction projects for two years.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in the 2009 government work report that the central government would intensify and accelerate post-earthquake reconstruction and strive to basically reach the targets in two years that had originally been set for three, so that residents of the quake zone can begin to live a happier life as soon as possible.

The Sichuan provincial government estimated post-quake rebuilding will cost about 1.7 trillion yuan, of which only 360 billion yuan is currently covered the governmental funds, according to Wei Hong, vice governor of Sichuan.

Central government appropriations will be separately monitored by the National Audit Office.

"We will try our best to complete 95 percent of the tasks of restoring schools and health and medical institutions by the end of the year," said Wei, adding that priority will be given to residential houses, schools, medical institutions.

All the students in quake zones will move into permanent schools in the first half of 2010, said Wei.

Some grassroots officials have felt huge pressures regarding the reconstruction. "We must do a host of reconstruction projects in a limited period, and no mistakes will be allowed," Lan Kaichi, Communist Party chief of Mianzhu city, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake, told Xinhua Friday.

"We are also trying to seek a way to balance between speed and quality of the reconstruction," said Lan.

As for Wei Hong, the vice governor, funds and project implementation are two challenges in the face of reconstruction.

"We face a shortfall of about 1.3 billion yuan, and the governmental funds are scheduled annually," said Wei, adding the provincial government will promote the investment of civilian funds and support credit funds.

Post-quake reconstruction has caused a fiscal deficit for some cities. The deficit was about 100 million yuan for Mianzhu city, said Lan.

"The reconstruction requires our innovative thinking to create conditions for fundraising," said Lan, the party chief of Mianzhu, adding that the funds will be raised with the participation of the government, banks and communities.

As for project implementation, the Sichuan vice governor said that the government will scrutinize the fund investment and the availability of construction materials so as to ensure the quality of the projects.

Post-quake reconstruction has also boosted investment and local economy, according to the provincial statistic bureau. The fixed assets investment in the province reached 215.8 billion yuan, up 78 percent to that of the last same period, with industrial added value increasing 17 percent.

"Money is not the only issue," said Wei, admitting that his government is faced with a bundle of difficulties, which ran the gamut from satisfying various needs of the people, and selecting sites to build schools in a geological disasters-rich area.

The magnitude-8.0 quake that hit southwest China, including many parts of Sichuan, on May 12 killed more than 69,000 people. It also left nearly 18,000 missing, more than 374,000 injured and millions homeless.