Twenty-eight provinces in China have worked out their plans for the upcoming yearlong national drive on controlling overloading in road transport, said sources with the Ministry of Communications Wednesday.

China decided to launch a large-scale national drive on controlling the practice of overloading, which will last one year from June 20. The drive will be the largest ever move in China on curbing the decades-old overloading problem and is jointly promoted by seven key Chinese ministries.

According to the ministry of communications, all provinces in China are making preparation for the drive, and besides the 28 having finished their plans, three more provinces are also working on their plans.

The Chongqing municipal government has announced that the city will, starting on June 1, generally drop its highway charges by 26.7 percent, and in some specific areas will cut it by half, according to the ministry.

Similar measures will also be seen in Sichuan and Henan provinces to keep the transport market steady, in which the Sichuan province will cut by two thirds highway charges for vehicles transporting emergency goods like coal.

China's coal province of Shanxi has decided to designate its Datong city as its demonstration city in controlling overloading. Currently, Shanxi has given publicity to the whole province and set up inspection equipment at all provincial highway accesses.

The Chinese capital Beijing has decided to invest approximately 100 million yuan for special use in controlling overloading in the city, with about 19 inspection stations erected to increase control over the problem. Relevant measures have also been taken in neighboring Tianjin city, where the city has recruited hundreds of staff to join the fight against overloading.

The ministry of communications said that to avoid shortage of necessities in some provinces as a result of the drive against overloading, the ministry has required all provinces to prepare enough emergency vehicles to transport the needy goods upon urgent circular.

The Chinese government hopes to realize a healthy and sound national transport market after the yearlong drive against overloading, said an official with the ministry of communications.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2004)