DURING A LOCAL live television broadcast, Huang Ding'en, a deputy district head in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, was handed a toy snail by unknown residents, which referred to the slow reconstruction of a major road, which is yet to be finished after more than a year. A commentary on rednet.cn suggests that the local government should not make light of the "gift", as humorous as it is, and fulfill its commitments to the public as expected.

That some residents sent a toy snail to a local official as a present, to some extent, is an expression of their deep frustration toward the endless roadwork. The inefficient reconstruction of a 10-kilometer stretch of road has made traveling difficult for many locals over the past year.

Routine maintenance and work on urban streets are, of course, necessary. But local governments should also take into consideration residents' needs and conduct the work according to a sensible schedule so as to reduce the inconvenience caused as much as possible. Apparently, the Wenzhou government failed to do so and so its representative was given the meaningful gift instead.