Civil servants are among the applicants chosen to receive government-funded houses in Xiangcheng, Henan province, according to reports.

Similar news has also been exposed in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces before.

Public housing is an important national welfare project to ensure low-income groups have houses to live in.

Reports that government subsidized housing intended for low income groups are being turned into welfare houses for officials is disturbing for the public.

Obviously, the government housing market is lacking regulation and supervision in some places.

The result is that it becomes even more difficult for low-income people to have the opportunity to live in the houses. They not only have to compete with each other but also the civil servants.

The government builds public housing to prevent house prices from rising too high. The thinking is that the public houses can satisfy housing needs of many people, lessening the demand for commercial houses.

The current situation proves this logic will be threatened by the complicated market for public housing in some places. The central authority should waste no time in strengthening administration and supervision of this field. Otherwise, both low-income groups and commercial house buyers will be affected.