Beijing municipal government has issued a circular pushing forward its efforts to control air pollution in the capital.

Vehicles failing to meet discharge standards issued by the city government will not be granted license tags and will not be permitted to enter the city, according to the circular released on Monday.

The new rules state that if air pollution in the city is recorded at high levels for three consecutive days, the number of vehicles driving within the Fourth Ring Road will be limited.

Cars with even plate numbers could be prohibited from driving within the ring road on odd days, for example.

When air quality returns to normal, the restriction will be lifted, said Zhao Chengyi, an official in Beijing Bureau of Environmental Protection.

From December 1, police will have the right to punish drivers whose vehicles blow out black or blue exhaust smoke.

License tags could also be removed, according to Zhao.

By the end of this year, Beijing will finish building 41 gas stations and the city's 1,200 buses and 10,000 taxis will use clean fuel, the circular says.

Green verges will be planted alongside Beijing's Fourth Ring Road and plans put in place for next year's projects, the circular says.

It also urges the Capital Iron and Steel Corp. in Beijing to reduce its steel production by the end of 2002 and stop using some of the facilities which cause pollution, such as a blast furnace and three converters.

From Wednesday, if the air pollution gets even worse, the city government will stop some factories operating, the circular says.

Rubbish burning and outdoor barbecues are banned all over Beijing, the circular says.

By the end of this year, 109 watering cars will have been bought to clean the surface of Beijing's roads, according to the circular.

Governments at all levels in Beijing are being called to make plans for next year's work to reduce the use of polluting materials and use cleaner fuels in boilers.

An office will be set up to keep an eye on dirt pollution, and when wind speeds reach force four, all groundwork in the city will be stopped to prevent dirt being blown around.

The circular has earmarked the period from November 1 to the end of next March as the fifth step in Beijing's fight against air pollution.

Beijing is determined to increase the number of days this year on which air pollution ratings score two or under on a scale of one to five, one being "excellent," five being "heavily polluted."

(China Daily 11/1/2000)