Beijing is to spend up to $20 billion to transform the Chinese capital from environmental blackspot into gleaming 21st century metropolis for the 2008 Olympics.
China's cabinet has already approved investment of $5.6 billion for the first phase to be completed by 2002 and officials are drawing up spending plans of $14.5 billion for the second phase.
The country's communist government is desperate to host the 2008 Games as a coming out party for a modern, booming China and knows Beijing's filthy air was a major factor in its failure to secure the 2000 Olympics.
"The overall target is that by 2008 Beijing will by and large be at the same environmental standard as Paris, London or Washington," said the China Daily.
The paper said hundreds of millions of dollars would be spent to pipe natural gas to the city's homes, phasing out dirty coal burning, while 60,000 buses would also be switched to liquefied gas.
The report said polluting factories would be closed down or relocated, and that by 2008 around 90 per cent of Beijing's sewage would be treated compared to only 40 percent at the moment.
Beijing's 12 million inhabitants currently endure daily traffic jams as increasing car use puts pressure on an inadequate road network while the skies above the city are frequently clouded over with pollution.
Olympic officials accept the city has a long way to go to match the environmental standards of its four bidding rivals Paris, Toronto, Istanbul and Osaka.
"It is not difficult to envisage the magnitude of environmental protection work that is needed in a city as large as Beijing," said vice mayor Liu Jingmin, adding that he was confident the city would meet its targets.
Meanwhile, the head of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspection team welcomed Greece's tighter deadlines for completing key venues and said yesterday he was optimistic about the troubled 2004 Athens Games.
"We are very pleased that the deadlines have been brought forward," said Jacques Rogge, head of the IOC commission in charge of overseeing the Games. Laliotis has moved forward the dates for completing five sports facilities to January 2004 from May 2004. Rogge had asked for them to be ready by the end of 2003.
Although Greece has almost 75 per cent of its sports facilities in place, venue construction tops Rogge's inspection agenda. That includes 47 areas of concern for the IOC which has issued repeated warnings about delays in Greece's 2004 plans.
Gianna Angelopoulos, who took over in April as president of the ATHOC organising committee, has said progress has been made but preparations are far from perfect.
ATHOC also said it was confident the IOC would be pleased with progress made in picking a television broadcaster, securing sponsors and ground-breaking at the Olympic village.
Greek officials also put forward their plans for security, under special scrutiny after the assassination of a British diplomat in Athens by an urban guerrilla group in June.
