2010-04-13 07:30

SHENZHEN - Despite stern warnings against irregular practices, some applicants for the government's latest batch of economical houses have had their credentials scrutinized during a public inquiry.

According to the city's housing and construction bureau, some 7,857 households, or 96.4 percent of all applicants, received preliminary official approval in late March, which brought them a step closer to being the occupants of government-subsidized economical homes.

All the information on the applicants was publicized online to receive public scrutiny for 15 days, starting on March 27. One of the criteria for approval is that household assets be no more than 320,000 yuan ($46,886).

A total of 299 applicants were discovered to be working for government agencies, including customs, public security and safety supervision.

In response to inquiries from the media, officials from Shenzhen Customs and the Futian district's safety supervision department clarified that these workers are temporarily employed and earn less than 3,000 yuan a month.

Another four applicants were found to be living in decent residential areas with housing prices of 20,000 to 50,000 yuan per square meter.

In a specific case, an official surnamed Shi from Qiqihar in Northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, who works for the Qiqihar city government's office in Shenzhen, also applied for a subsidized house and passed the preliminary assessment. After he reported zero family assets and a monthly income of less than 2,000 yuan, his son was later discovered to be studying at an expensive French university.

When pressed, Shi admitted paying about 2,000 euros a year for his son's education and later withdrew his application for a subsidized home, according to a report by Guangzhou Daily.

Some other applicants also quit the process following media exposure, the report said.

"We will continue to accept reports and complaints from the public about the applicants despite the first-round of public scrutiny having ended. Their qualifications will be further assessed and, possibly, put forward for the second-round of public scrutiny," a media official with the Shenzhen Housing and Construction Bureau, surnamed Yao, told China Daily on Monday.

According to the procedure, applicants are initially assessed by the community offices. They then need to be vetted by the district housing and construction departments and, finally, receive approval from the city-level authorities.

The second-round of public scrutiny is expected to take place in mid-June.

China Daily