It is the first time for Beijing to set a ceiling on its total emission of major pollutants, said Fang Li, vice head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. The previous guideline targeted only the growth of emissions

Beijing will slap heftier fines on polluters violating the law, according to the regulation, which also stresses criminal punishments for those whose acts constitute crimes.

Frequent bouts of smog have been a major source of public complaint in Beijing. The metropolis reported 58 days of serious pollution last year, and the average PM2.5 index, which measures hazardous fine particles, more than doubled the new national standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

Source: www.turkishweekly.net