THE number of written complaints to the central government about relocation has risen sharply in the past two years, according to the China Economic Times, a journal of the Development Research Centre of the State Council.

The journal said a special forum on relocation problems in the country was held in Beijing recently.

Zhu Ying, an expert with the State Letters and Complaints Bureau which handles complaints from ordinary people, revealed that in 2001, letters of complaint about relocation totalled 8,516, accounting for some 3.97 of all letters. In 2002, the number of letters rose to 13,513. By August 31 this year, the bureau had already received a total of 11,641 letters of complaint.

Liu Zhifeng, deputy minister of the Ministry of Construction, told a recent press conference that relocation problems in the country have the close attention of the central government. The minister said the government would deal severely with any corruption in relocation disputes.

Liu also said a city's construction and relocation programme should be controlled within a scale that ordinary people were able to cope with. (Star News)