President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao last Thursday urged law enforcement organs to implement stricter inspections and punish people legally responsible for accidents that claim large numbers of casualties and property loss.
       
Wen chaired a special State Council meeting on work safety that said local governments, relevant departments and enterprises should deal with underlying problems that might trigger accidents.

The State Council said coal mines, chemical plants, transportation companies and fireworks factories were priorities for safety overhauls between this winter and spring next year.
   
According to Xinhua News Agency today, since November 20 the Ministry of Public Security has imposed stricter measures against overloaded passenger cars, speeding, drunken driving, driving tired and driving without registration plates.
   
The Ministry of Education said on November 17 that students' sports activities should be organized only inside campuses, as those on traffic routes greatly threaten students' lives.
   
The same day, the Ministry of Communications said it would overhaul major ferry services, prohibiting non-passenger vehicles using passenger transport.
   
Last Tuesday, the Bureau of Production Safety Supervision and Administration urged companies nationwide to learn lessons from the latest disastrous blast at a Jilin chemical plant and gas leak at the Capital Iron Corp., and to carry out thorough internal safety checks.
   
While pressing local coal mines to prevent gas explosions, the bureau said it would further work to close down unlicensed collieries.
   
It also said it would crack down on unauthorized fireworks factories.

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2005)