Yu Lingyun, a professor at Tsinghua University specializing in administrative laws, told the Global Times that it is a practical move for Sichuan Province to draft a law on emergency property reclamation, as the province has encountered several natural disasters in recent years.

But he also noted that the draft needs work, notably because it doesn't specify when the government will return the private properties or which department would be responsible for making compensations to the public.

Conflicts and power abuses may happen in the taking-over process, as the draft is still lacking details, Yu said.

A poll on huanqiu.com revealed that among the 4,495 participants, just 780 people, or about 17 percent, supported the draft, while 3,715 voters opposed it. Though most of the polled Web users were against such property seizures, some also said there needs to be such a law to help deal with the aftermath of natural disasters.

Guo Di, a college student who survived the massive 7.8-magnitude Sichuan earthquake in 2008, told the Global Times that "the draft should guard the interests of the citizens who really need help."

"I'd love to offer help to others, especially after experiencing the quake, but I don't like to be forced to do that," Guo said.

It would be better if the government launched accompanying regulations to avoid corruption during the process of law implement, Yao said.

"The public interests will be better protected through an amendment of more details of laws and step-by-step regulations."