With the Cabinet to decide next week whether to rebuild the section of the Central Cross-Island Highway between Kukuan and Techi, local politicians and environmental groups yesterday disagreed over the fate of the fragile link road.
The highway segment was about to be reopened early last month when Tropical Storm Mindulle hit the nation, crippling the road once more with falling rocks, landslides and mudflows.
During a Council for Economic Planning and Development hearing broadcast live on TV yesterday, Taichung County Commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (
"If it's not fixed, we estimate that transportation costs from fruit and vegetable farms in Lishan will increase by NT$300 million a year," Huang said.
He said that agriculture in the town was worth more than NT$6.4 billion a year, or 40 percent of the county's agricultural output.
A closed road would also continue to cause tremendous inconvenience to those Aborigines who commute from mountainous areas to the plains, Huang said.
Indigenous people make up 34 percent of the population of Hoping township, one of the areas hardest hit by Mindulle. About 20,000 Abo- riginal people have already relocated elsewhere in the county.
Huang said that in addition to dredging rivers, the government should consider building tunnels or bridges instead of reconstructing road segments perched along steep slopes. He said officials also had to ensure that land and water resources were protected.
Huang was supported by Lin Rong-jin (
"Some government officials have jumped to the conclusion that there's no point to fixing roads damaged by Mindulle, even before inspecting the disaster zone to see the situation for themselves," he said.
Lin was referring to Council for Economic Planning and Development Vice Chairman Chang Ching-sen (
A team of geologists will report to the Cabinet on whether the highway does indeed affect such locations, but Chang said that the answer was already evident after looking at satellite photos.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun has instructed an ad hoc task force to recommend whether or not to rebuild the segment of the highway within the week.
Chung Ting-mao (鍾丁茂), a spokesman for the Taichung chapter of the Homemakers' Union and Foundation, said that the reconstruction would be a waste of money.
"The government has spent about NT$1.3 billion repairing roads since the 921 earthquake in 1999. It's estimated that the damage caused by Mindulle may cost an additional NT$6 billion," Chung said. "Why do we spend so much taxpayer money to repair a road located in such a geologically sensitive area that suffers damage even after ordinary rainfall?"
Chang Feng-nan (張豐年), a doctor and a board member of the Caring Nature Association in Tai-chung City, called on the Cabinet to stop fixing damaged segments of the highway as well as hydro-electric plants built along the highway that were damaged by Mindulle. He also proposed that the Techi Reservoir, which he said was in danger of collapse following the devastating earthquake four years ago, be demolished.
"While most of the people who I see in my practice are opposed to the idea of reconstructing damaged segments of the highway, local politicians are voicing exactly the opposite opinion," Chang said. "I'm curious to know whether they don't realize the severity of the problem or if they're just trying to manipulate public opinion."
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS