Local land departments were urged to monitor forced demolitions and evictions in a notice issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources last Friday.

In a bid to protect the people's interest, the notice urged local land departments to develop special programs to deal with possible land dispute emergencies,?answer reasonable requests from members of the public, and?take more measures to tackle the rural residents' relocations and their life difficulties.

In addition to implementing the central governments' policies, the heads of the local land departments are responsible for cooperating with other governmental departments to improve relocation compensation and resettlement policies, the notice said.

Supervision should also be strengthened and proper compensation should be given to rural residents whose homes are demolished, the notice said.

According to a China Daily report on April 21,?the country's first draft law?on administrative coercion?had been?submitted to the National People's Congress, or the country's top legislature, and was "close to implementation."

The draft law calls for an end to the use of violence, intimidation and other illegal means by both local administrations looking to take possession of people's homes and third-parties acting on their behalf.

It also rules out such property seizures taking place on holidays or at night, unless there is an emergency that justifies it.