Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng vowed to tackle the most important problems affecting city residents this year when delivering the government work report at the annual session of the Fourth Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress that started yesterday.

Providing solutions to problems related to people's daily lives -- including education, health, employment, social insurance, and food safety -- was listed as the No. 1 task for the government.

"We will increase input into the education sector and speed up drawing up plans for basic education in Longgang and Bao'an Districts," said Xu, who also pledged to expand high school education, and regulate private schools.

To lower medical expenses and ease the shortage of medical resources, Xu said his government would start constructing key medical facilities like Shenzhen No. 3 People's Hospital and Binhai Hospital, establish more community health centers, and encourage the development of private medical institutions.

Xu promised to create job opportunities, raise the minimum pay, expand social security, and improve food safety.

Meanwhile, Xu vowed to improve the water quality in the city's major rivers, build nine major parks and 50 community parks by the end of the year, and impose "the strictest control" on areas under ecological protection. The national standard III for auto emissions will be implemented in 2006 to reduce air pollution, he said.

He also promised to speed up construction of a modern road network linking the entire city and upgrade the police force with modern technology and dispatch more police to neighborhoods.

(Shenzhen Daily March 23, 2006)