The Legislative Yuan today unanimously agreed to fast-track amendments to a special act for rebuilding in the aftermath of extensive flooding last month directly to a second reading.
The draft bill would fund relief efforts after Hualien County’s Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) landslide dam failed on Sept. 23, due to torrential rains brought by Typhoon Ragasa, flooding Guangfu Township (光復) and the surrounding area.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is to convene cross-party negotiations.
The Executive Yuan on Thursday last week approved amendments to a separate recovery plan for Typhoon Danas in southern Taiwan, seeking an additional budget of NT$25 billion (US$813.42 million) for Hualien, increasing the total relief package to NT$85 billion.
The amendments would allow authorities to survey and monitor the barrier lake along the Mataian River, set up a flood-prone area, work on sediment and soil control and relocate affected residents.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus called on the Cabinet to draft its own version of the bill so that all parties can discuss the best reconstruction plan for disaster victims.
Meanwhile, the central and local governments have been debating who should take responsibility for evacuation efforts, with the Hualien County Government requesting the Executive Yuan to draft and implement a disaster evacuation and sheltering plan.
However, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said today that the responsibility lies with local governments, as written under law.
Legislators and the Hualien County Government cannot pass on the responsibility to the central government or township offices, he said.
Evacuations are to be carried out by the Hualien County Government and three township offices with assistance from the military, Minister of the Interior Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said yesterday.
Liu called on the local government to follow up on coordination measures outlined by Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成), the chief coordinator of disaster relief efforts in Hualien County, and clarify details of the current evacuation plan, including protection rosters, so that a new plan can be drafted.
If the local government needs assistance, the Ministry of the Interior would comply under Cho’s directives, he added.
KMT caucus whip and Hualien legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said the blame cannot be put on the local county government, as all typhoon-related evacuation measures are the responsibility of township and district offices.
The National Disaster Relief Center and the Hualien County Government have placed a red alert on Guangfu Township due to an incoming typhoon which remains in place.
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