China's auditor general on Tuesday said more than 1.54 billion
yuan (US$192.5 million) earmarked for environmental protection
projects along the Qinghai-Tibetan railway, was free of "serious
inappropriate use."
In his state audit report read to the legislature on Tuesday, Li
Jinhua, head of the National Audit Office, said the financial
statements relating to the environmental protection program along
the railway "passed project assessment as almost all investment was
put to good use."
In 2005, Li's office launched the audit of the environmental
protection projects of the rail line that runs 1,142 kilometers
from Golmud in Qinghai Province to Lhasa in Tibet.
The railway begins trial operations on Saturday.
The auditing was based on an investment plan for the
Qinghai-Tibet railway construction issued by the National
Development and Reform Commission, and the Qinghai-Tibet railway
environmental impact evaluation report, which was adopted by the
State Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of
Water Resources.
The railway builders budgeted 1.54 billion yuan, or 4.6 percent
of the total investment of the rail to environmental protection
projects.
As of the end of June, 90 million yuan had yet to be spent.
The environmental protection projects included the construction
of 33 special passageways that allow wild animals to cross the
railway.
By June 2005, all the passageways had been completed.
(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2006)