2,682 officials held accountable in environment inspections

BEIJING - In recent inspections, China held 2,682 local officials to account for poor environmental protection efforts, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said Saturday.

The central government just wrapped up its month-long second round of inspections in seven provincial regions including Beijing, Shanghai and Hubei, to review local government work.

Through public tip-offs and random checks, inspectors looked into 12,005 cases and imposed fines totalling 243.03 million yuan (about $35 million).

China is fighting pollution and environmental degradation after decades of growth left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated soil.

The central government put forth a national plan on environmental improvement for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), earlier this month, which set detailed tasks on polluted air, water and soil.