BEIJING - A senior Chinese official said Thursday that the disciplinary organs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) around the country should receive more petitioners and help them resolve problems with patience.

He Guoqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, made the remarks during a visit to a petition office of the CPC Central Discipline Inspection Committee (CDIC).

He, who is also the head of the CDIC, said properly handling people's petitions is a political task for the party's disciplinary organs, and that leaders of disciplinary organs at all levels should regularly meet petitioners and listen to their appeals face-to-face to help solve their difficulties.

He met two petitioners at the petition office. He listened to their complaints, answered their questions and asked officials to follow their cases to make sure their problems were properly solved at an early date.

People who work for the departments of the party and government dealing with petitions should always pay attention to people's most pressing and practical issues, He said.

He also said the disciplinary organ's work to receive petitioners is an important part of the party's and government's work handling people's petitions as well as an effective information source for locating corruption.

Disciplinary organs at all levels should seriously investigate and punish illegalities in land acquisition, food and drug safety, environmental protection and work safety as told by petitioners, he said.

Officials who receive petitioners with buckpassing, runarounds or perfunctoriness should be held accountable, he said.