Fifteen chengguan with college degrees will be hired as Pudong district's Lujiazui strives to improve staff quality.

"During the Shanghai World Expo 2010, the Lujiazui area will be an important travel spot for both domestic and foreign tourists. Thus, we need a high-quality urban management staff here so as to provide better service," an official from the department said.

"Besides, the area has been short-handed for a long time. This batch of new staffers is expected to help ease the problem," he said.

The new staff will be responsible for maintaining the area's environment and public order and cracking down on illegal transport in the area. Their income after taxes is about 2,000 yuan per month.

So far more than 100 people have applied for the positions.

Meanwhile, officials from Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau told China Daily yesterday that they have strengthened the supervision of local urban management departments following the recent beating of a street peddler by five urban management officials.

Local district and county urban departments are now required to audit their staffing levels, especially for urban management assistants, in terms of quantity and quality.

Unqualified staff members will be discharged after evaluation under the campaign that will last until the end of the year, official said.

"For many years, positions like urban management assistants were mainly held by people in their 40s or 50s who were laid off and stayed at home," an official surnamed Liu told China Daily.

"But as the city develops, younger, well-educated people and more professional people have become a growing need," Liu said.

In addition, a new regulation that guides local urban management officials on how to deal with goods confiscated from street peddlers will take effect this Saturday.

Confiscated goods will be auctioned in local markets if the owner fails to reclaim them. Also, proceeds from auction sales will be given back to them after fines are deducted for running an unlicensed business.

(China Daily July 31, 2009)