Recently, the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has reviewed and believes that the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the "Regulations on the Safety Management of Fireworks and Firecrackers" formulated by the National People's Congress and other laws and administrative regulations do not have comprehensive prohibitions on the sale and discharge of fireworks and firecrackers that meet quality standards. With regard to the issue of a complete ban on sales and burning, there are differences in understanding, and it is difficult to enforce in practice, so it should be revised in accordance with the spirit of the provisions of the higher-level law. After communication, the formulating authority has agreed to make amendments to the relevant provisions as soon as possible.
Setting off fireworks during the New Year is a folk custom with a long tradition, but with the changes in life, especially the rapid advancement of urbanization, the behavior of fireworks may also bring some problems. "Ban", "Restrict" or "Release"?Different experiences and different positions point to different views and demands. For example, large-scale concentrated fires will inevitably have an impact on the atmospheric environment, and groups that are more sensitive to air quality may have objections. Families who have elderly or children at home and want to enjoy a quiet atmosphere during the Chinese New Year will most likely not approve of the behavior of setting off firecrackers late at night. On the other hand, many people miss the lively atmosphere of "one year old in the sound of firecrackers", and think that fireworks and firecrackers are an extremely important part of the New Year's flavor, how can they be banned?Residents in some rural areas may feel that the impact of fireworks on air quality is not as great.
China's vast territory and the actual situation at the provincial, municipal, and county levels are very different, which determines that some specific policies and local regulations cannot be the same. In fact, the "Regulations on the Safety Management of Fireworks and Firecrackers" clearly states that "local people at or above the county level can determine the time, place and type of fireworks and firecrackers that are restricted or prohibited according to the actual situation of their respective administrative regions". One purpose is to promote all localities to make scientific arrangements and deployments flexibly and flexibly according to the actual situation, so as to avoid "one-size-fits-all" rigid policies. There are many factors to be considered in "prohibiting," "restricting," and "releasing," but obviously we must not deviate from the principle of seeking truth from facts, adapting measures to local conditions, and implementing policies in accordance with local conditions.
Each has its own reasons and reasons, which is the direct embodiment of "differences in understanding, and it is difficult to implement them in practice", but different demands and different voices should be heard and valued. Behind the specific policies is the people's livelihood, and only by paying attention to the needs of the masses can we remove the resistance and obstacles in the process of policy implementation. Promptly supervising and correcting problems in local regulations involving people's livelihood reflects the positive response of the filing and review system to the concerns of the people and the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and legal persons.
Improving and strengthening the filing and review system undoubtedly puts forward higher requirements for local regulations or red-headed documents, and the introduction of policies and regulations must be both legal and reasonable. Reminiscent of the previous Sichuan local regulations prohibiting the private smoking of bacon in urban areas, after the controversy caused by the local apology for lax customs and mistakes in work, and said that some mobile smoking equipment was configured around the urban area in a timely manner to fully meet the needs of the masses. For the long-term folk customs such as the smoking of wax products, instead of banning them in order to prevent problems and hidden dangers, it is better to think about how to inherit the tradition and facilitate the residents while ensuring safety and reducing pollution, which is the meaning of the topic for the sake of the masses. This is true for smoking bacon, and the same is true for setting off fireworks. How to find the "greatest common divisor" of cultural customs, living habits, fire safety, atmospheric environment capacity and other factors, and find the balance between public demand and social management, is a test of the "embroidery kung fu" of governance.
At the beginning of 2023, many places have adjusted the policy of "completely banning fireworks and firecrackers", changing "prohibition" to "restriction", stipulating that people can set off fireworks at specific times and areas. The good experiences and good practices accumulated in the course of exploration and practice in other places can be used as a useful reference for improving the policies and regulations of the region. Only by extensively listening to the opinions and suggestions of all quarters, fully reflecting the will of the people, and pooling the wisdom of the people, can the policies and systems formulated conform to reality and be effectively implemented.
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