A man pulls his luggage past electronic screens showing the Olympic Green Park under blue skies, near the National Stadium (R), or the Bird's Nest, amid heavy smog in Beijing, China, December 1, 2015. [Photo: asianewsphoto.com]

Municipal authorities in Beijing have come up with a new strategy to try to reduce PM2.5 density by 5-percent this year.

In outlining the plan, deputy head of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, Fang Li, says coal use has been identified as one of the areas they plan to focus on this year.

"The eastern and western districts of Beijing are going to be closely monitored to ensure there is no selling, transporting, storing or burning of coal. This will include thorough inspection of coal vendors and major coal consumers."

Plans to reduce coal use in Beijing include replacing coal heating with electricity, as well as expanding the natural gas network in Beijing to the roughly 400 villages in the municipality this year.

At the same time, some 200-thousand high-emission vehicles are going to be pulled off the road. Heavy vehicles carrying construction waste and heavy duty diesel vehicles will be the focus of a crack-down.

A continued focus on heavy-polluting companies, particularly those located on the so-called rural-urban fringe of Beijing, will also be a target this year.