The Ministry of Land and Resources issued measures on managing China's land resources and prohibitions on related working staff Tuesday, signifying its tougher efforts in building up a more open and transparent image.

The measures and bans will take effect on March 1, in a bid to curb illegal trading in land-use rights, said Men Xianlai, an official with the ministry.

This is the first time that the ministry systematically claimed to openly deal with businesses involving land use.

Altogether ten measures are clarified on those key items like land allocation, endorsing, compensation and charging, and five bans such as prohibiting officials taking advantage of their powers to deliver personal priorities in land or mining deals are publicized meanwhile to safeguard those measures.

According to the measures, the Ministry of Land and Resources plans to publicize its overall strategies on utilizing the land and mineral resources as well as the approval matters, procedures and results of land using and mining.

Since 2003, the Chinese government has been devoted to rectifying the nation's land market, and has uncovered 168,000 illegal cases of land deals and the concerned individuals were punished seriously.

(People’s Daily February 4, 2004)