A farmer setting himself on fire in Beijing last week has sounded the alarm to local authorities in charge of relocating residents for construction projects.
Zhu Zhengliang, 45, from a county in East China's Anhui Province, set himself alight last Monday in Beijing.

According to local media reports, the reason behind the desperate act was the tearing down of his house by local authorities to make way for planned construction projects. There was disagreement over the amount of compensation Zhu should get.

It is a relief to know that his burns were not serious, as police quickly doused the fire and got him to hospital.

But the factors that drove Zhu to the extreme give us a heavy heart.

Very likely, his rights and interests were not respected in the relocation deal and the local government's dismantling of his house pushed him too far. Even though it is too early to say exactly if or how far in the wrong the county government was, it should review its handling of the case.

The near tragedy is a lesson that all local authorities should take on board to draw a clear line between development and the protection of private interests.
Relocation is often inevitable as the country pushes for further industrial and commercial development.

But the precondition is that the removal of buildings is in line with legal procedures and fair compensation is paid to those being relocated.

In particular, as land development makes up a big share in local revenue, it would be intolerable if local governments nullified the interests of residents or abused mandatory measures to bulldoze through relocation.

It is alarming that relocation has become a major cause of public complaint in recent years because of widespread irregularities and corruption that are associated with it.

These problems have not only tarnished governments' images but trampled the law's pledge to protect citizens.

Local relocation departments had better spend some time reading about the law and rethinking their methods.