Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday remained steadfast in his resolve to build roads and excavate sewers to alleviate a flooding problem in the city’s Beitou District (北投), saying that public safety issues caused by residents refusing to let the city government expropriate their land have persisted for more than 50 years.
Borough wardens in Beitou during a meeting on Wednesday complained to Ko over a lack sewers causing floods in the district whenever it is hit by torrential rain or typhoons.
Permits to commence work were denied due to objections from landowners, the borough wardens said.
Furthermore, a road construction plan to connect seven green spaces in the district and transform them into community parks has stalled because of landowners refusing to have their plots expropriated, increasing the danger in the event of floods, they said.
Ko said that the projects that are aimed at improving public safety do not need residents’ consent, adding that he has instructed Taipei Public Works Department officials to dig the sewers and build the roads.
“[The residents] are not going to protest if you build the roads… I am sure of it. Even if they did, [the protests] would be useless,” he said.
The remark has drawn criticism from the media and the public, claiming that Ko has an “autocratic” governance style.
Responding to media queries about the criticism, the mayor said: “Do you have a better proposition?”
He said that the argument between residents and the authorities regarding the projects that would involve expropriations has stifled projects to fix roads and denied some regions sewer systems for more than 50 years, posing threats to public safety.
“So, for the sake of public safety, you just have to push it through and worry about protests later,” Ko said.
Ko also shrugged off criticism by Taipei City councilors who said the city government had allocated an excessive amount of second reserve fund, which totals NT$1.25 billion (US$37.67 million).
With Taipei’s many planned developments and the Summer Universiade, which the city is to host next year, the allocation of the funds serves to facilitate city government projects, the mayor said.
“I hope that they [agencies] will not use a lack of funds as an excuse to stall the implementation of policies,” he said.
Ko said that since the city government publishes the fund’s balance online every month, and the unused portions would be returned to the city government, there can be no such thing as excessive budgeting.
Asked whether the installation of e-Tag sensors at the city’s public parking spaces would be covered by the fund, Ko said that it would depend on the timetable set by the agencies, adding that if there is enough lead time, the sensors could be paid for through a standard budgeting procedure.
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