BEIJING - The Beijing municipal government is considering ushering in a residential permit system to limit the booming population expansion, a senior official said Tuesday.

Beijing will carry out the pilot program once the central government promulgates related policies, said Zhang Gong, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, who is also a deputy of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature.

While deliberating on the government work report at the ongoing NPC annual session, Zhang said the fast-growing population has brought pressure to Beijing and posed a challenge to the city's management.

Though the population of 20 million are not out of control, the Beijing municipal government is studying and preparing for the implementation of the residential permit system, Zhang said.

He did not elaborate on how the permit system would affect the population growth, however.

Zhang also disclosed that the government would try to channel the downtown work force to suburban areas through fostering new industries and public services.