A residential shack
at Sinan Road is to be demolished for the city's redevelopment plan.
Alcatel
Asia moves head office here
ALCATEL yesterday
announced the setting up of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai,
reflecting its confidence in the economic growth of the Asia Pacific region.
Friendship stores offer best of Britain
A RANGE of British luxury and consumer products made by 20 renowned manufacturers, ranging from confectionery and biscuits, knitwear and arts products, will be on offer in Shanghai's four Friendship stores from tomorrow, according to sources from the British Consulate General.
Three women drug dealers face jail
THREE young women have been sentenced to criminal detention in Pudong for drug trafficking after they became addicted to drug abuse.
Street corners, goldfish go with the feng shui flow
AS everyone knows we are about to enter a dragon year, regarded as the most auspicious by the Chinese. The dragon is also an important aspect of feng shui, or wind and water, an ancient Chinese geomantic practice and buzz word in the West in recent years. Having co-written a book on the subject, coming to China has given me the opportunity to see for myself how feng shui works in its country of origin, particularly in Shanghai.
Hearing opens in Huahai case
COURT hearings started yesterday into a major case of embezzlement in which company board chairman, Gui Aizhen, is suspected of channelling 12 million yuan ($1.4 million) of public funds into private companies, according to the municipal No 1 Intermediate People's Court.
New perks to hook high-tech expertise
THE local job market just got more attractive for job-seekers in the high-tech industry.
Sowing seeds of conservation
THE future is in the hands of the younger generation. That's why Shanghai Changning International School (SCIS) tries hard to impart to its students a strong sense of environmental protection.
Woman knifed in Pudong after fight with boss
ONLY a few weeks after reports that a security officer chopped off four of a woman's fingers in South China's Guangdong Province sparked outrage, another report has surfaced that a migrant woman in Pudong suffered a similar injury when a disagreement with her boss turned nasty.
IPR review positive
CHINA has honoured the US-China bilateral agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights signed in 1995, according to Joseph Papovich, assistant US trade representative for services, investment and intellectual property.
German companies build business and friendships
THE Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, established in 1994, has helped more than 360 representative offices and firms funded by German enterprises to set up, most of which are based in Shanghai and the rest in other provinces such as Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Shandong.
Woman raped, murdered for $21 and phone
AN unemployed migrant from Anhui Province was arrested last week for robbing, raping, and murdering a young woman, according to sources from Zhabei Procuratorate.
Hounded robber gives himself up to the police
A MAN who robbed a karaoke bar gave himself up to police last week hoping for protection after being hounded for money by other members of the criminal underworld.
Campus river has a story
PEOPLE visiting East China Normal University often ask: why is the river which traverses its campus called Li Wa He, or Beautiful Woman River?
Eyesores on way out; filthy shacks to raze
By Xu Xiaomin
DEMOLITION of some ugly shacks built on grassland has pleased residents in Jintang Residential Area, Xuhui District. Green grass has been replanted on the ground. "I was so happy to see those sheds pulled down," said an old man surnamed He. "Now the environment has regained its beauty." More areas will be beautified like Jintang. The city continues to focus on environmental redevelopment after demolishing over 1.3 million square metres of buildings which had not passed official standards set by the urban planning and administration bureau last year. This year, a further 1 million square metres of unapproved buildings are to be demolished, according to the Shanghai Urban Planning and Administration Bureau. Three-year plan The city plans to pull down all buildings which do not have official approval within three years. This year, the focus will be put on those seriously affecting the traffic, environmental sanitation, public security and the city's profile. They include eight kinds: 550,000 square metres of buildings under high voltage electricity cables, those in residential areas, on two sides of main roads, in railway stations, airports, on greenbelt, downtown and the outskirts of downtown, and those along 41 rivers and highways. "Such buildings are widespread in the city," said Yu Deming, an official of the bureau. "There used to be over 6 million square metres of unapproved buildings in the city." This meant almost half a square metre of an illegal building per person in the city. Most of them are age-old abuses of building regulations and have been around for many years, said Yu. Building of illegal sheds There were three peaks in the building of illegal sheds. The first was at the end of the 1970s when most of the educated young people who had worked in other provinces during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) came back to the city. A lot of illegal sheds were built to house them. The second peak was in the middle of the 1980s, and appeared along with the crazy commercial rush. Many people living on the street-front knocked down their front wall to build small stores on the sidewalks. In the beginning of the 1990s, the neighbourhood administrations built small sheds in residential areas and rented them to people. "With the keen demand for residential space and the temptation of profit, more and more illegal buildings were built," said Xia Liqing, the director of the bureau. Jian Fengmin, a residential planning analyst said over 60 per cent of the illegal buildings were built by the neighbourhood administrations. A neighbourhood with over 60 sheds could receive over 60,000 yuan ($7,200) of rent every month, according to Jian. "In addition, the inferior administration also led to the surge in construction of illegal buildings," added Xia. Under the laws and regulations now-existing, departments including urban planning and administration, real estate administration, public landscaping and neighbourhood administrations all bear some responsibility. Too many administrators lead to low-efficiency work, he said. "Building a simple shed needs only two or three days while to demolish it needs several months - from case on file, investigation and enforcing the penalty to demolishing it," said Jian. Image-improving bid "The illegal buildings have affected the profile of the city and also the traffic," added Xia. Furthermore, some of them built above underground pipes and cables, on flood-prevention walls or below high voltage electricity cables seriously threaten the public security. Migrant workers have begun to inhabit illegal buildings. They prepare food, set up hair salons and slaughterhouses which are not sanitary. In 1999, the city government listed demolishing of illegal buildings among its top 10 priorities for the first time. Because the lawbreakers involve residents, neighbourhood administrations and enterprises covering 20 districts and counties, there are difficulties in demolishing illegal buildings, according to Yu. "But the numbers of our supporters are also growing, which gives us confidence," said Yu. "We should establish a comprehensive administration," said Xia. After demolition, green plants should be planted to prevent the reappearance of illegal buildings. As for those buildings which provide jobs and services needed in residential areas, the bureau plans to construct welfare buildings to replace them.
Copyright 2000 by Shanghai Star. All rights reserved.