Members of the Taipei Dome Sub-Contractors Self Help Association yesterday presented a petition to the Control Yuan calling for an investigation into the Taipei City Government’s decision to halt construction of the Taipei Dome.
After presenting the petition, association head Sam Hsu (許志霖) called on the Taipei City Government to publicize the list of construction plan violations on which its order is based, allowing the sub-contractors to move toward resuming construction by addressing the violations.
The legal basis for the construction halt is unclear because in normal circumstances planning violations are only subject to a NT$9,000 fine per violation, payable after construction is completed, he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“The city government needs to give us a clear answer on what the plan violations are and whether they are related to the main structure,” he said, adding that a resumption of construction should be allowed if the Dome’s main structure is not implicated.
If the city chooses not to resume construction, it should make a decision as soon as possible on whether the structure is to be demolished, because only then could sub-contractors dissolve their contracts with Farglory, he said.
“We’re not here to nit-pick about who is at fault, but now that a construction halt has been ordered we hope for a quick response and decision,” he said, adding that without a resolution, many contractors would go bankrupt or be forced to lay off employees.
Sub-contractors are unable to recover the cost of materials as long as the halt on construction is in place, while banks are denying credit to corporations connected with the project, he said.
Several hundred protesters in hard hats rallied outside the site calling for the Control Yuan to intervene, shouting slogans accusing the city government of abusing its authority and demanding that it “return their livelihood.”
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