China calls halt to over-lavish public buildings- again

BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) China has launched a new investigation into over-lavish government buildings after a recent scandal in which more than 20 officials were punished for architectural extravagance, state media said on Tuesday.

Communist Party authorities said the latest crackdown on corruption would single out government buildings that were ''excessive in terms of size, decor or facilities''.

The government has set a limit of 4,000 yuan (500 dollars) per square metre for the construction of ministerial-level buildings.

The investigation will also target projects for which bank loans were obtained, money collected unofficially, donations sought illegally or funds misused, the China Daily said.

''Local governments have until June 20 to report on buildings that contravene the regulations,'' it said.

Some local governments have embezzled poverty-alleviation and disaster-relief funds to put up luxurious offices and other facilities for themselves.

The government of Puyang county in the central province of Henan spent 32.84 million yuan (4.2 million dollars) on a new office building between 2002 and 2004, far exceeding the budget of 9.75 million yuan.

''County officials were found to have misappropriated 7.7 million yuan of pension funds and subsidies for laid-off workers and collected 1.06 million yuan of unauthorised funds from subordinate units to make up for the extra spending,'' the newspaper said.

The central government issued a circular last month emphasising a ban on construction of wasteful and extravagant official buildings, including hotels and entertainment centres.

It banned indoor gardens, multi-storey atriums and high-tech karaoke stages at government and party buildings.

The move was partly a response to complaints about ostentatious public buildings, especially in the country's poorer inland regions.

Beijing is trying to crack down on corruption, worried that it could threaten its own grip on power.

REUTERS JK BST0750