BEIJING - The Ministry of Supervision on Monday named and shamed 21 officials who have been punished for dereliction of duty.

The low-level officials were involved in four cases, and have received punishments ranging from warnings to demotion, for malpractice in investigating illegal occupation of arable land, excessive emissions, illegal residential occupants, and others.

In one case, the deputy head of Feixiang County in Hebei province, Wang Yuncheng, along with three other local officials, were issued with warnings for failing to prevent a company from illegally occupying farmland to build workshops, the ministry said in a statement.

The problems of undesirable work styles, including bureaucracy, are still a serious problem at the local-government level, the statement said, adding that this harmed the public's immediate interests and affected trust in the Communist Party of China and the government.

The ministry urged supervision departments to intensify inspections, and promised harsh punishment for those found to have shirked their responsibilities.