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Two more cities in Henan Province, central China, have abandoned the eight-year ban on fireworks in urban districts during the Spring Festival that falls on Feb. 1.
The cities of Anyang and Nanyang have followed Kaifeng that in 1999 became the first city in Henan to lift the fireworks ban.
Although most cities in the province banned fireworks in 1995 for environmental and safety reasons, local lawmakers continued to pressure the government to reverse the policy.
Last year, the Standing Committee of the Anyang city people's congress held a survey among residents for their opinions on the issue. It found that 56.72 percent of the people said the ban should be lifted, while the rest wanted it to stay.
The Standing Committee decided to respect the wishes of the majority of people and drop the fireworks ban.
Police authorities in these cities said they would keep a close eye on the production, sale and use of fireworks, and would take effective measures to prevent fireworks causing injury or damage.
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2003)
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