BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday asked local authorities to act prudently and appropriately in a campaign against improper geographic names.

Relevant regulations and guidelines of the campaign should be strictly observed to prevent the campaign from being expanded in an arbitrary manner, said the ministry.

The statement came after recent reports on proposed name corrections of hotels or residential areas in several provinces.

The focus of the campaign is names of newly built residential areas and major projects, which had a negative social impact and stirred strong public reactions, said the ministry.

Launched in December, the campaign mainly targets four types of improper toponyms, including those featuring exaggeration, unrelated foreign elements, strange vulgar words and repetitive names.

The campaign is an important measure to improve the management of geographic names and promote the fine cultural tradition embedded in such names, according to the ministry.

It also asked local authorities to strictly follow the working procedures in the campaign, fully carry out expert verification and extensively solicit public opinions.