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Program helps put idle facilities to good use

The Executive Yuan's Public Construction Commission has brought to life 72 idle public facilities which were built at a total cost of NT$15.9 billion (US$480 million), a commission official said yesterday.

The Executive Yuan has listed a total of 152 rarely used or idle public facilities that were built at a cost of NT$47.4 billion from September 2005 to last month for inclusion in the revival program, the official said.

The commission has asked authorities to work on another 80 listed projects, including 40 rarely used facilities worth about NT$22 billion and another 40 idle facilities built at a cost of NT$9.5 billion.

The listed 152 public facilities cover buildings for 15 different functions, such as parking, cultural exhibitions, sightseeing and recreation, social welfare and sports. Some 50 cases are parking lots, followed by 17 cultural museums and 12 gymnasiums.

According to the official, idle public facilities are usually the result of improper public policies, unpragmatic campaign promises, lack of expenditure, environmental changes, poor management and incomplete administrative procedures.

In an effort to stop more public facilities becoming idle, the commission has set up rules requiring the authorities to reconfirm the need for building new facilities and to evaluate them before approving construction projects.

They should also avoid procrastination and shorten the time of administrative procedure for projects in construction, the official said.

In addition, they should adjust business plans according to changes of policies and environments for projects in operation, the official said.
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