The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Construction Monitoring Alliance was established by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday in a bid to engage the public over the project.
A series of accidents at Kao-hsiung MRT construction sites has reportedly shaken Kaohsiung residents' confidence in the standards of construction.
When Lu was inspecting a construction site on Dec 10, residents suggested to her that she form a citizen's alliance to oversee construction.
Lu said that she also considered the construction to be problematic and an encroachment upon the human rights of the people of Kaohsiung.
"We form this alliance in a bid to ensure Kaohsiung residents' freedom from fear, the people's right to live in peace and the city's prosperity," Lu said yesterday at the meeting, in which engineering experts took part.
Lu said the alliance would operate "independently, professionally and constructively," adding that the experts would offer their professional opinions to the builder.
According to alliance convener Tsai Pao-shang (
"All participants will monitor the construction voluntarily. We would like to monitor the quality of the construction. But we won't trouble the project at all," Tsai said.
The alliance's main goals include offering assistance regarding disaster prevention at construction sites, reviewing the design of the MRT project, reassessing potentially dangerous geological and water conditions and promoting transparent management of the project.
Experts from the alliance are scheduled to conduct a field inspection on Dec. 29. After convening meetings in the middle of next month, a report will be released to the public.
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