Jiangsu legislators to propose law for chengguan

Legislators from Jiangsu province plan to propose a State administration department and a specific law to oversee urban management officials, or chengguan, in a bid to ease the tense relationship between chengguan and the public after recent incidents.

Wang Yi, a drafter of the proposal and a law professor at Yangzhou University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that deputies in Jiangsu province will jointly submit the proposal, which will become the first draft legislation regulating chengguan.

"A specific law can restrict chengguan enforcement behavior and define their duties which will help to increase public awareness of their role," Wang said, adding that an administrative department at State level can better manage chengguan.

The role of chengguan includes dealing with urban sanitation problems, noise and parking, which is set in accordance with government guidance. Under the current administrative system, most of them were administrated by local housing and development authorities and there is no supervisory national department.

Increasing incidents of conflicts between chengguan and the public have grabbed the headlines in China recently.