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Protection of Life Top Priority: Xinhua Commentary
China's Xinhua News Agency released a commentary on Monday urging local governments to give priority to the safety of people's lives and property.
An explosion on June 30 killed 32 people and injured 17 people at a fireworks factory in the city of Jiangmen in south China's Guangdong Province, with 39 other still missing. The commentary notes that the blind pursuit of profits by some departments caused them to dare to ignore the central government's regulations on industrial safety.
The article demands that severe punishment be given to the people responsible for accidents that result in the loss of people 's lives and property according to law.
The cental authorities have always shown deep concern over the issue of industrial safety. President Jiang Zemin has urged governments at all levels to take measures to ensure industrial safety, as well as to give top priority to the safety of people's lives and property, the commentary continues.
The central authorities have stressed many times that local governments and departments concerned should pay close attention to industrial safety, which is very important for economic development and political stability.
After an explosion in Pingxiang City in east China's Jiangxi Province three months ago, which killed more than 30 people, Jiang gave instructions to tighten up industrial safety, and so the Jiangmen explosion came as a particular shock, it says.
The commentary points out that the frequent occurrences of such accidents demonstrate local governments and departments' ignorance of industrial safety requirements and accident prevention. Some local governments ignore the regulations and practice lax supervision of industrial safety.
Though economic gains are one goal pursued by the socialist market economy, a responsible manager should obey production safety rules, says the commentary, adding that safety should always be integrated with production and profits. Only industrial safety can ensure normal economic operations.
The commentary says that the enterprise manager should be the first person responsible for industrial safety, and a safety responsibility system should be established in order to curb the occurrences of severe accidents, and to protect people's lives and property, as well as help nurture a favorable social environment for promoting the country's reform and opening up and modernization drive.
Industrial safety is closely related to the security of the people's lives and property, political stability, and the progress of the reform, says the commentary, urging local officials to take a responsible attitude in order to strengthen their management work on industrial safety, and take immediate measures to ensure the safety of the lives and property of their workers.
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