Beijing, Mar 20 (IANS): The Chinese government on Monday reported several companies and local administrations that have breached environmental protection measures within the country.

After a four-day inspection, a total of 202 irregularities were found, such as the unauthorised restart of production despite a government ban or failure to comply with emission reducing measures, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The irregularities were discovered by 18 inspection teams sent to 16 cities, including Tianjin and Beijing, where a blue alert was issued on Saturday due to air pollution, Efe news reported.

Inspection teams urged local governments and companies to investigate and rectify the situation as soon as possible.

Earlier this month, the Chinese government presented a plan dedicated to improving air quality with a 3 per cent reduction of emissions of the main pollutants sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Reduced mining and consumption of coal, cutting down excess generation of electricity through coal and a decline in steel production were among the measures announced.