
According to Xinhua News Agency, the reporter learned from the State Bureau of Letters and Calls on July 28 that the investigation results of the incident of "collectively drinking pesticides at the gate of the people’s newspaper office" which has attracted much attention have been announced. The relevant departments of Sihong County, Jiangsu Province reflected by the visitors did violate the rules in the old city reconstruction project in 2013. At present, 14 responsible persons, including the county party secretary of Sihong County and the executive deputy magistrate of Sihong County, were punished by party discipline and political discipline.
On the morning of July 16th, seven petitioners in Beijing collectively drank pesticides in front of China Youth Newspaper, which aroused widespread public concern. What are they petitioning for? Why do you take such extreme measures to express your demands? In this regard, the reporter followed the Central Joint Inspection Team to investigate in Sihong, Jiangsu Province.
Controversial old city reconstruction project
It is reported that the seven petitioners who drank pesticides are all from Qingyang Town, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, and they are relocated households in the renovation project of Qiganzhuang and the dilapidated area of the overhaul factory in Sihong County. Because they disagreed with the compensation for house demolition and resettlement, they repeatedly reported the situation to the petition departments at all levels from 2013 to 2014.
According to the survey, these seven petitioners came to Zhongqing Newspaper twice in the first half of 2014 to seek media attention, but failed. Therefore, when they visited Beijing for the third time in July 2014, they collectively drank pesticides in front of Zhongqing Newspaper.
After the incident, the leaders of Jiangsu Province immediately gave instructions to rescue the wounded and organize the special treatment of land acquisition and demolition in the province; The State Bureau for Letters and Calls, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other departments also quickly formed a central joint inspection team to investigate the places involved.
According to a complaint found at the scene of the incident, these seven people were relocated households in the renovation project of Qiganzhuang and the dilapidated area of the overhaul factory in Sihong County in 2013, and petitioned because the compensation for project relocation was too low. According to the materials, there are many illegal acts in the process of promoting the project, and they were once put into a "black prison" during the petition process.
According to the survey, the compensation standard for the two renovation projects involved is 2300-2500 yuan/square meter. According to relevant regulations, the compensation for the value of the expropriated house shall not be lower than the market price of similar real estate in the same period. Although the price of resettlement houses built by Sihong County is only 60% of the price of commercial houses in the same area, the price of new commercial houses around the project has reached 3000-3400 yuan/m2, and the compensation standard is relatively low. Especially for relocated households who choose monetary resettlement, it is difficult to buy commercial houses with the same area with compensation, which has caused some relocated households’ dissatisfaction.
The reporter also learned that a considerable part of the houses expropriated by the seven petitioners who drank pesticides were used to operate marinated vegetables, cakes, beauty shops and other projects. These petitioners said that their family income would be affected after the houses were expropriated, but the government did not compensate them accordingly.
The opposition did not affect the strong promotion of the project. After investigation, these two plots violated the regulations of the Ministry of Land and Resources that the right to use construction land must be "net land" and were sold in the "gross land" state; After the land transfer, the demolition work was started before the publicity of the survey and registration results of the house expropriation was completed; There are even some homeowners who still have objections to the agreement, but the houses are forcibly removed by the relevant departments.
A county leader explained that most of the reconstructed plots are dangerous buildings, lacking supporting facilities, and the people have a strong desire to transform, so forced demolition is a last resort. Gao Yuguang, a resident of Sunhe Community, who also belongs to the scope of this dangerous renovation, also confirmed to reporters that when it rains in this area, sewage flows everywhere, and most residents are looking forward to demolition, and they also moved away shortly after the announcement of expropriation. "Everyone was shocked after the accident. These people’s feelings of safeguarding interests are understandable, but they should not take life as a child’s play." He said.
Going to the province to petition, but encountering "halfway interception"
According to incomplete statistics, since 2013, seven visitors who drank pesticides have made 29 normal letters and visits about the compensation of the rebuild project through letters, visits and online complaints. However, the contradiction has not been resolved, but has intensified step by step.
On September 23, 2013, when 11 relocated households involved in the project were petitioning normally by Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Letters and Calls, they were stopped by the staff on duty at the reception center of Sihong County in the provincial bureau and informed Qingyang Town. Qingyang Town sent staff to take them to a hotel in Sihong County for a talk overnight, and they were not allowed to leave until the agreement was signed. Some people stayed for more than 24 hours. Several petitioners said that the agreement signed under such circumstances was against their true wishes. In May this year, six petitioners who were detained at that time filed a complaint with Sihong County Court to cancel the signed agreement, four of whom were the parties to the pesticide drinking incident.
According to the investigation of the inspection team, the petition departments of the state, province and city all handed over several letters and visits to the local authorities in time. However, as the main body responsible for handling letters and visits, the Sihong County Housing and Construction Bureau and Qingyang Town Government failed to respond positively to the petitioners’ demands, but only gave simple answers, and the contradiction escalated.
When the road to letters and visits was blocked, the petitioners turned to the media for help. A relocated household who had petitioned with these seven petitioners told reporters that in March and May 2014, they came to Zhongqing Newspaper twice to deliver materials, but the result was nothing. "In fact, the second time we went, we had the idea of drinking pesticides, but we finally gave up the action." He said.
Only two months later, these seven people didn’t say hello to their families and didn’t bring their mobile phones, and collectively disappeared from the eyes of the "responsible person" in the village. It was not until the news was overwhelming that everyone knew that they had gone to the China Youth Daily again and fell in front of the newspaper.
Under the new pattern of letters and visits, local governments must earnestly implement territorial responsibilities.
In March of this year, the Central Office and the State Council issued the Opinions on Handling Letters and Visits Involving Lawsuits in Law, requiring that letters and visits involving civil and commercial, administrative, criminal and other litigation rights relief should be handled by political and legal organs according to law; On May 1st, the Measures of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls on Further Standardizing the Procedures for Accepting Letters and Visits and Guiding Visitors to Visit Step by Step according to Law was officially implemented, and the higher authorities no longer accept leapfrog visits.
Shan Guangnai, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology, China Academy of Social Sciences, said that two major actions in the field of letters and visits show that with the deepening of the reform of the system of letters and visits in China, the pattern of letters and visits has undergone major changes. However, judging from this case, local governments have not adapted to the new situation, and there is a mentality of "waiting, relying and wanting" in handling letters and visits.
"In the past, the channels for letters and visits were only smooth in form, but not in practice. The phenomenon of buck-passing between superiors and subordinates and various departments was serious, which seriously affected the relationship between the party and the masses and the credibility of the government; The purpose of promoting the reform of the petition work system and implementing step-by-step visits according to law is to further compact the responsibility of territorial responsibility and related responsible subjects, so that the reasonable demands of the masses can be solved in time at the grassroots level. "
On July 22nd, jiangsu provincial party committee made a decision to inform the whole province of this case, demanding that we should learn a lesson seriously, draw inferences from others, seriously reflect on it, and put an end to the recurrence of similar vicious incidents. Fourteen responsible persons, including the county party secretary and the deputy county magistrate of Sihong County, were dealt with by the corresponding party discipline and political discipline.
Shan Guangnai pointed out that the new regulations put forward stricter requirements for administration according to law. Local governments should change their working methods that rely too much on administrative promotion, and gradually bring the issue of letters and visits involving law and litigation into the track of rule of law; In view of the complex problems involving a wide range, such as land acquisition and demolition, all departments need to form a joint meeting system to focus on solving related problems and resolve social contradictions in time; Letters and visits departments at all levels should also earnestly shoulder the responsibility of reflecting people’s feelings and voices in a timely manner.
"In a society ruled by law, the public should’ safeguard rights according to law’ and the government should’ maintain stability according to law’. The balance point is the law, and the appeal point is the interest. When dealing with specific problems, local governments need to take into account fairness, reasonableness and legality in order to make social contradictions less generated and less intensified. " He said.
According to the Beijing police, seven petitioners who drank pesticides are in good health. At present, they are all criminally detained on suspicion of seeking trouble. For more information about this matter, the relevant departments are still investigating further.