Cabinet says quake repair not yet done

Cabinet officials reported to the Control Yuan yesterday that the government was behind schedule on nationwide reconstruction work following the 921 earthquake.

"We have repaired most roads and bridges in many areas that were hit by the quake but we haven't done enough in terms of psychological reconstruction for victims," said Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (賴英照).

The Cabinet also reported that only slightly over half of all collapsed homes have been rebuilt.

A statement released by the Cabinet said that 99.17 percent of damaged roads had been repaired, 590 hectares of vegetation had been replanted at 127 different sites, reconstruction of 158 schools had been completed out of 293 requiring reconstruction work, 60 percent of collapsed houses had been rebuilt and reconstruction of 86 damaged hotels and nine leisure parks had been completed.

The Control Yuan will set up an office to monitor the Cabinet's reconstruction work progress in the hope that the threat of impeachment will concentrate the minds of officials to ensure that the remaining work is carried out expeditiously.

"The 921 earthquake was the worst natural disaster we have had in Taiwan for the past 50 years," said Fredrick Fu (錢復), president of the Control Yuan. "In the wake of this disaster, we have established that the government's post-disaster performance leaves lots of room for progress."

Fu also highlighted the chaos surrounding post-921 financial aid programs.

"Most of the complaints that we have received from the public have been in regard to government financial aid, as the standards for disbursement by different government bodies differs wildly, and there has been a lack of communication about the details of how the money is to be handed out," Fu said. "In addition, major reconstruction work is way behind schedule," he added.

The massive temblor measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and occurred at approximately 2am on the morning of Sept. 21, 1999. It leveled Taipei's Tunghsing Building, destroyed hundreds of villages and towns in central Taiwan and injured thousands of people. The earthquake took the lives of 2,375 people.

"While we are rebuilding our homes, the quality of the reconstruction and the efficiency with which the work is being carried out should be seriously considered," Fu said. "It's too late to cry over spilt milk. But we can do something to avoid a repeat of the mismanagement of the tragedy's aftermath."