HUALIEN TRIBE PROTEST AND DEMAND FOR SAFE ROADS|瑞港公路豪雨坍方 交部勘查村民下跪陳情

Roads in Hualien were damaged due to the continous heavy rains. Yesterday, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Deputy Minister Chi Wen-chung went on an inspection tour, and was faced with protestors who asked the central government to take charge of damaged roads. The Hualien county government said that they have no money for road repairs and hope to seek extra funding from the central government. Holding protest signs, hundreds of Hualien's Chimei residents shouted "Give me a safe road back home" during MOTC Deputy Minister Chi Wen-chung's inspection tour to the Ruigang Highway. Hualien County Council member Chen Ying-mei even knelt down and asked the central government to take responsibility for managing the highway. ==CHEN YING-MEI, Hualien County Council member== Take the highway back, alright? For the sake of the Chimei tribe. My heart aches a lot for the residents here. I beg you, deputy minister! Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi and legislator Hsu Chen-wei went on an inspection tour to the Ruigang Highway as well. They said the highway suffers damage whenever it rains, which greatly affects the living of the Chimei tribal residents and the tourism industry. They believe the central government should be the authority in charge. ==FU KUN-CHI, Hualien County Magistrate== It is ridiculous. How can the county government manage a road like this? We don't have the ability to do so. ==HSU CHEN-WEI, KMT legislator== The county government does not have the ability to pay for such huge damage. Especially in a place where its geological formation is vulnerable to natural disasters. The county government will repair the temporary access road first. Chi said the Ruigang Highway is classified as a township highway, which the Hualien County government should take full responsibility of it. However, he promised that the MOTC will help the county government to set up road repair plans and get extra funds to repair the highway as soon as possible. ==CHI WEN-CHUNG, MOTC Deputy Minister== As to whether the level of the highway should be elevated, whether the central government should take responsibility for it, I will take advice from the locals and discuss the matter with the central government. The most important thing now is to repair the road as soon as possible. Besides the Ruigang Highway, many roads in Hualien were also damaged due to heavy rains. Hualien County government estimated that repairs will cost up to NT$1 billion and there will only be a NT$100 million subsidy. The problem requires the central government's attention. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 拉起抗議布條，上百名的花蓮瑞穗鄉奇美村民，趁著交通部次長要來視察瑞港公路，站在部落的入口處大聲向次長喊出還我一條安全回家的路，花蓮縣議員陳英妹更是激動下跪，要中央把這條地方無法管養的道路趕緊收回。 ==無黨籍花蓮縣議員 陳英妹== 我希望你們全部收回啦 好不好 為了我們奇美村真的 我很心痛啦 次長拜託啦 好不好 花蓮縣長傅崐萁，和國民黨不分區立委徐榛蔚則是一路陪同勘災，強調瑞港公路是在凍省後，中央硬把這條道路丟給地方，但地方根本沒錢管養，現在遇雨則坍，嚴重影響泛舟觀光，和傳統的阿美族奇美部落生計。 ==花蓮縣長 傅崐萁== 這實在很離譜 這樣的一條路 怎麼可能由鄉公所來管養 根本沒有能力 ==國民黨不分區立委 徐榛蔚== 這個這麼大的災損 非一縣所能為之 尤其是這個地層太過脆弱 當然便道的搶修先做 交通部次長祈文中則是表示，瑞港公路屬於鄉道，依權責劃定管養單位是花蓮縣政府，但考量政府施政必須一體，交通部會協助縣府擬定災損計畫，爭取救災經費，趕緊先修復道路。 ==交通部次長 祁文中== 這條鄉道要不要提升到縣道 要不要由縣府管 提高到中央管 我想我會把大家的意見帶回去 同時來探討 最重要就是趕快讓這條道路搶通 此外，包括省道台11線牛山路段，還有193縣道月眉路段，都有大規模的地基流失情況，花蓮縣政府估計，這次的災損至少十億，但災害補助款只有一億，急需中央政府重視。 記者 溫嘉楷 花蓮報導