A grand nine-story office building under construction in Jianshi county in East China's Hubei province, has provoked an online uproar, because it was reportedly designed to accommodate about 40 local officials at the cost of over 23 million yuan ($3.7 million). Many more over-sized office buildings have also been found in the nationally designated poor county. Comments:

The sumptuous office building in Jianshi county, which has not only squandered large sums of public money, but also cost the local government its credibility, can be seen as total disregard for the central government's regulations on the spending of public money. Therefore, all relevant officials should be held accountable despite the use of the property being readjusted.

Beijing News, July 5

The existence of over-sized office buildings reveals not only some local officials' abuse of power and personal obsession with luxury projects, but also the possibility of misconduct and rent-seeking behind the scene. On the one hand, they call for stricter supervision to scrutinize every link of a governmental project; on the other, harsher punishments need to be imposed on rule-breakers.

china.com.cn, July 4

What is behind the over-sized constructions in an impoverished county is worth noting, because they have been constructed at huge public cost. Jianshi county is supposed to use the central government's financial aid on necessary programs, not fancy offices enjoyed by a few civil servants.

zjjzx.cn, July 4

There is more than one reason why some local governments push for large construction projects irrespective of their financial means. First, the fiscal budget is yet to seal all the loopholes in the management of public funds. Second, some local officials believe that they are more likely to get promoted with better opinion poll results, which may be achieved if they make efforts to improve the working conditions of government employees. Third, a few seniors even aim to leave a name behind after they leave their current posts.

cermn.com