The head of Kaohsiung's MRT system offered to resign yesterday to take responsibility for subsidence on Monday that led to the evacuation and condemning of surrounding buildings in the fourth construction mishap to hit the project in three months.
"The recent accidents have occurred in Yencheng and Kushan districts. If it isn't possible to overcome the geological and technical difficulties in this area, then maybe we should put a stop to construction," Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday.
The mishap at the construction site for Shitzuwan Station on the MRT's Orange Line affected an area of 500m2 and led to the evacuation of at least 24 residents from nearby homes.
The accident caused four three-story buildings to sink precipitously, and Hsieh yesterday ordered that all of the buildings be torn down.
Evacuated families are now staying at a nearby hotel. Each household will be paid NT$10,000 in consolation money in addition to NT$300,000 in compensation.
Hsieh also said that Chou Li-liang (
However, Hsieh said he told Chou to stay at his post during the aftermath of the accident before submitting a formal letter of resignation.
Hsieh would not comment on whether Chou would be removed, saying only that he would deal with any letter of resignation "appropriately."
Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) yesterday said that the Orange Line passes through an area with a high level of sand in the soil and was therefore prone to instability. But he added that construction in the area was not impossible and that the incident would not likely warrant a complete halt to construction.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which is financing 57 percent of the Kao-hsiung MRT budget, is also expected to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the accident. It has already sent officials to Kaohsiung to oversee the handling of the matter.
Local media reported that the ministry had phoned the Department of Rapid Transit Systems and ordered that construction be temporarily halted in the affected area and that changes to the project be made within six months. The ministry said that it was confident the central government would not need to take over the project.
Chou yesterday said that the situation at the scene of the accident was under control. He said cement had been pumped into the site to stop water from flooding the station.
Additionally, except for 50 families whose telephone service also remains cut, electricity and the water supply have returned to normal in the neighborhood.
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