President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inspection of the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) yesterday incurred criticism from a legislator who claimed the government spent an additional NT$100 million to prepare the facilities for Chen's visit.
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) Lin Ling-san (林陵三), who accompanied Chen's inspection, then made a rebuttal.
Hsuehshan Tunnel, a 12.9-km long tunnel that penetrates through the Hsuehshan Mountain Range, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, after being delayed many times since construction began in 1991.
PHOTO: YU MING-CHIN, TAIPEI TIMES
The tunnel connects Pingling (坪林) in Taipei County and Toucheng (頭城) in Ilan County as part of the 31km Peiyi Expressway, running from Nangang (南港) in Taipei City to Suao (蘇澳) in Ilan. When completed, it will become the world's fifth-longest tunnel.
While inspecting its construction, President Chen told Premier Hsieh that the construction must be completed by the end of this year.
Chen criticized the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government for not devoting its efforts to the construction, saying that the DPP government should finish the construction on schedule to serve the transportation needs of the people of Ilan.
While officials were carrying out the inspection, Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), a People First Party legislator, told a press conference that the inspection had cost about NT$100 million.
"In order to receive the President, MOTC spent NT$1.5 million in constructing a temporary bridge and NT$15 million in demolishing 15 steel molds within the tunnel, so that the officials could pass through the inspection routes without difficulty. Also, it cost NT$90 million to prepare and transport the necessary equipment for these temporary projects," he said.
Liu said that the extra money spent in receiving President Chen will be paid from the budget of MOTC's Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau (TANEE). "It is our taxpayers who have to pay for President Chen's inspection," he said.
In response to Liu, Premier Hsieh said that the temporary bridge was not established especially for yesterday's inspection. "The temporary bridge was supposed to be built under TANEE's scheme. It is just that TANEE finished the bridge earlier than expected."
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