BEIJING, Feb. 14 -- MORE than 100 urban management teams will visit a thousand residential complexes to help handle complaints about illegal construction, environmental pollution and destruction of greenery.

    It is one of the 10 convenience services Shanghai Public Sanitation Bureau will offer to the public this year, it was announced yesterday.

    "Residents don't know who they can turn to when they come across such problems,'' said Xu Jianping, an official with Huangpu District team. "From now on, we can solve the problems for them and help pass other problems to the relevant authorities.''

    The bureau will also set up a 24-hour monitoring system and ensure officials will arrive the scene within two hours once they receive reports in downtown areas.

    About 600 public toilets and 5,000 dust bins will be added this year. The bureau will maintain its crackdown on illegal hawking but allow street booths in some areas as a trial project.

    But the street booths must be kept clean and neat, not affect traffic and provide a valid convenience to residents, the bureau said.

    The crackdown on random disposal of construction waste will be continued this year. During the week-long Spring Festival holiday, residents dumped a record of 94,900 tons of rubbish.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)