An advisory group yesterday proposed that 20 percent of earthquake relief funds be used to assist reconstruction projects in disaster areas and to run home-building training programs for people in Aboriginal villages.
The group also said that festive activities should be set up to help 921 quake victims cope with their feelings of pain and loss as Chinese New Year approaches.
The Post-quake Reconstruction Advisory Association (
The group proposed that the Disaster Relief Foundation (震災基金會) allocate 20 percent of the NT$10.3 billion in relief funds donated by the public to county and city governments in disaster areas -- especially Taichung and Nantou counties. The group also proposed that the money should be combined with another 20 percent of relief funds collected from local governments, with the total given to cities, villages and townships for community reconstruction.
"Local governments can form an examination committee to decide how much money should go where, and we [the advisory association] are more than happy to help out with the examination work," said Huang Jong-tsun (
Huang said the proposal has been approved by the association's leader, Lee Yuan-tse (李遠哲), and the chairman of the foundation, Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫).
Three months after being formed, the association has been gradually shifting its main work from offering consultations to providing assistance to disaster areas.
The association is currently providing Aborigines whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the 921 quake with construction expertise free of charge.
The group also plans to sponsor festive activities from Jan. 20 to Feb. 20 to help quake victims welcome the Chinese New Year.
According to Huang, government divisions have pledged to provide human and financial resources, and the Evergreen Group also has agreed to help with coordination and other material assistance.
"We hope the government will set certain rules on the reconstruction of public buildings. Basically we would like to see buildings that are better constructed, more visually appealing, and we would like to see the recycling of old construction materials," said Lin Neng-pai (林能白), dean of the management college at National Taiwan University and deputy secretary-general of the association.
The association also proposed reviving industries such as tourism and agriculture in quake-stricken areas.
"We would like to see the potential prospects of reconstruction programs mapped out and to see more reconstruction plans targeted at the genuine need of disaster areas," Lin said.
To better inform the public about quake reconstruction progress, the association proposed teaming up with local newspapers to hold seminars and called for special coverage about recovery efforts in quake-stricken areas.
The Post-quake Reconstruction Advisory Association, formed on Oct. 4, is a non-profit organization composed of six divisions and some 40 scholars and experts.
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