BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- A 12-year ban on firecrackers during the traditional Spring Festival, China's Lunar New Year, will come to an end in the national capital Beijing on Dec. 1.

    New rules, namely the Beijing Municipal Regulations on Firecrackers Safety Management, was adopted Friday at the 22th meeting of the 12th Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress to replace the Regulations Banning Firecrackers during Spring Festival and other festivals, which was enacted 1993.

    The new rules allow Beijingers to set off firecrackers in areas within the Fifth Ring Road from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the whole day of the first day of the new year, and between 7 a.m. to zero hour everyday from the second day to the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, a major traditional Chinese festival of family reunion.

    During other festivals in the year, firecrackers are only allowed in restricted areas with the approval of the municipal government of Beijing.

    Many Beijingers are delighted to hear the news of easing firecrackers ban.

    Li Hongding, 30, said he enjoys the firecracker booms during the Spring Festival. "Without firecrackers, the festival is less joyous and a bit monotonous," Li said.

    Booms of firecrackers during the Spring Festival, which often fall in January and February, mark the end of a passing year, or "Guonian" as the Chinese refer to it. Traditionally, firecrackers are believed to chase away demons, especially on Lunar New Year's Eve. This tradition has been passed on from generation to generation for centuries in China.

    For security and environmental protection reasons, fireworks have been banned in urban areas of hundreds of Chinese cities since the 1980s, and a large number of them have resumed the festivity tradition owing to local residents' urge. And Beijing isamong only a few cities with the ban still around.

    Beijing's firecrackers ban was queried during recent years' festival period as cracking was often heard in the downtown area, even within the second ring road -- the innermost areas of Beijing's city proper, though posters reading "no firecrackers setting off here" could be seen in nearly every street.

    On the other hand, local government is kept on the run to deal with possible violations of firecrackers ban during the festival. "A total of 130,000 policemen were mobilized to patrol streets during this year's Spring Festival period, and the number could bebigger when people selected from work units and neighborhood communities are taken into account," said Hao Ruyu, a member of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress.

    The ban did help reduce casualties and maintain normal social order in the first few years after it was introduced, but it now faces serious challenges, said Zhou Jidong, head of the Legal Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government.

    A recent survey on 60,000 residents on easing of firecrackers ban, carried out by the Legal Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the local legislature, showed that 69.62 percent of the respondents agreed to have firecrackers setting off during the festival.

    The call for erasing the ban is not only echoed at the webs, media, but also pose asr heated discussion topics for the representatives of China's highest legislation body -- the national people's congress at their annual session.

    Liu Tieliang, vice chairman of the Chinese Folk Writers and Artists Association, said facts showed that any law not in conformity with the will of the general public cannot be well observed.

    The new regulations prohibited people from setting firecrackersoff in crowds, motor vehicles and buildings, and fireworks are also outlawed in areas adjacent to government buildings, sites of historical interest, kindergartens, homes for the aged, railway stations, military facilities, among others.

    Moreover, new rules with rigid standards and concerning varieties of firecrackers stresses fireworks and firecrackers are only allowed to be sold by franchise stores.

    Individuals in violation of new rules each will be fined between 20 yuan to 500 yuan (about 61 US dollars) and institutionswill each face fines between 1,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan (about 3,700 US dollars).

    As a matter of fact, there are also some people who oppose to the relaxing of the ban.

    Wei Jingmin, 60, said "Firecrackers are too noisy and dangerous. I'am thinking of spending the 2006 Spring Festival outside Beijing."

    However, to ban or not to ban might not be the crucial questionwhen the issue of safety is taken into consideration.

    A survey by the government web tells that most citizens hold that the government should take more stringent measures to crack down on illegal activities regarding firecrackers production, saleand transportation, once the new regulations put into effect.

    There are also worries whether the new rules can be observed strictly. "Who can make sure that everybody will abide by the rules consciously and strictly?" asked Wang Ju, a retired worker.

    Professor Wang yekai with the National School of Administration said efficient implementation will testify not only to governing capability of concerned departments, but to self-discipline quality of the citizens. Enditem