Building more community centers, firehouses and health clinics and launching a campaign to stop people from spitting in public were among the 10 "good deeds" Shanghai government will perform for its citizens this year.

"Through an extensive collection of views from residents, we selected 10 projects that are closely related to their lives," municipal spokeswoman Jiao Yang said yesterday at a news conference.

The announcement was a continuation of an annual tradition that began almost two decades ago. Since then, Shanghai has started each new year by unveiling 10 major projects.

This year the city promised to build or update 100 community organizations, which will provide consultations on social security applications and medical insurance and handle complaints, among other services.

On the traffic front, Shanghai will re-label 838 roads that have duplicate names and standardize highway signs.

In the residential area, the government will transform 4 million square meters of flat roofs into more attractive sloping roofs at 40 residential complexes.

It will carry out upgrades at 300 wet markets and apply organic fertilizer on 40,020 hectares of farmland to lessen pollution.

The city will build 15 new firehouses and improve 300 clinics in suburban areas.

Local government will launch training in proper public behavior to discourage those who spit in public or jump ahead of others in line, among other social sins. The sessions will target 1 million families in preparation for World Expo 2010.

Among the other deeds is a plan to provide better services for 3,500 severely disabled people.

The city will also subsidize mobile short-message services for 30,000 hearing- and speech-impaired residents.

(Shanghai Daily January 12, 2006)