'PEOPLE'S CALL IS HEARD'
Beijing's education authority responded to the complaints of parents on Friday in a statement posted on its official account on Weibo. The post revealed that the government had already put aside funds for schools and kindergartens to set up air purifying devices.
"People's call is heard," one parent commented on WeChat after the news was revealed.
On Saturday, Cai Qi, Beijing's acting mayor, also publicly addressed local residents' concerns over air quality. Cai, who took office last October, said he feels "deeply disturbed" that the smog has been inconveniencing people.
"I sympathize with people who are venting online about the smoggy weather," he added. He promised 10 measures to tackle the issue, including strict control of the potential polluters.
Senior central government officials have also spoken out about the thorny issue.
People in the affected areas are discontent because they don't sense any improvement in winter, Chen Jining, the minister for environment protection, said in a press conference on Saturday night, vowing that the department will "reinforce" the existing measures to control air pollution.
Reducing air pollution cannot be done overnight, Chen added.
But many netizens continue to doubt the teeth of the ministry's polices and fear that a desire for economic growth will prevent local governments from shutting down polluting factories.
"The lack of communication from government with the public about the pollution is the major cause for people's panic," an editorial published on Weibo by China
Central Television's Mandarin news channel argued.
"The victory of this battle against air pollution is conditional on the government being more transparent."
