It is possible to raise NT$2 trillion (US$61.92 billion) for transportation projects, but the staggering amount could crowd out other projects, Directorate-General of Budgeting, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Minister Chen Shu-tzu (陳淑姿) said yesterday at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) asked the DGBAS whether it could source funds for a high-speed railway network linking the east and west coasts, a Hualien-Taitung expressway and an extension of National Freeway No. 6 eastward to Hualien as proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁).
Fu proposed draft special acts on the three proposed construction projects.
Photo: CNA
Major construction projects have to undergo viability and cost-effectiveness assessments before being forwarded to the National Development Council for deliberation, Chen said.
If the council approves a project that would cost a significant amount, the DGBAS would initiate talks with other government agencies to source funding, he said.
However, if the Legislative Yuan were to approve projects of the scale that have been proposed, the funding would affect many other major building projects, she said, urging the legislature to take utmost care when deliberating the issue.
The DGBAS has to balance limited funding against limitless demand from the public for building projects, protect sources of income, and keep the books balanced, he said.
Separately, Citizen of the Earth Taiwan said that the legislature should withdraw the proposed projects and the government should clarify how Hualien County should proceed with development after the April 3 earthquake.
Citizen of the Earth Taiwan deputy director Huang Ching-ting (黃靖庭) said that Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) suggestion that discussion on the draft acts be delayed until a new minister of transportation and communications has been appointed was not a straightforward decision.
The 10-year timeframe to complete the proposed construction projects is politically motivated, Huang said, adding that Hualien residents need safe public transportation that reflects their interests.
Citizen of the Earth Taiwan Hualien Taitung Office member Liang Sheng-yue (梁聖岳) said that the April 3 earthquake highlighted the difficulties of residents in eastern Taiwan.
Fu failed to prioritize post-earthquake reconstruction bills and instead introduced empty promises, Liang said.
Lai Kuan-yu (賴冠羽), a cultural creative industry incubator consultant, said that infrastructure projects in Hualien must consider the constraints of the local environment.
Hualien needs safe roads that guarantee safe travel, not projects that have not been thought through, including the potential they have to increase traffic rates and visitor numbers, Lai said.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
RSS