ZHENGZHOU - Three officials in a Central China city have been sacked for gambling at mahjong while on duty, as the authorities crackdown on dereliction of duty among local officials.

The discipline authority of Luoyang city, Henan province, combed a hotel earlier this month and found three officials playing mahjong at a time when they should have been in the office.

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The three officials included two bureau chiefs from the city's administration for industry and commerce and one from the local cultural bureau, said the local discipline authority in a statement.

They were accused of gambling during work hours and removed from their posts.

The local government in August stressed discipline and decency of civil servants. Activities such as drinking, playing cards, and watching movies on computers were strictly prohibited for government workers in work hours.

Special offices were set up to conduct secret investigations into cases of dereliction of duty.

To date, 221 local officials had been disciplined, said the statement.