Changhua Residents Support Elevated Railway Project|鐵路高架案審查取消 彰化鄉親抗議
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The National Development Council originally planned to review the Changhua Elevated Railway Project on Oct. 18, but canceled the review at the last minute. This move angered Changhua County magisterial candidate Wang Huei-mei of the Kuomintang, and she rallied hundreds of Changhua residents to travel north and protest outside the NDC. In response, the NDC shifted the blame, saying the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had failed to provide all the required information to assess the program's feasibility and it is still waiting for more information. Moreover, the NDC minister happens to be away.
Hundreds of Changhua County residents, led by the Kuomintang's magisterial candidate Wang Huei-mei, traveled north to Taipei to protest outside the National Development Council. They were angry the NDC had canceled a review of the Changhua Elevated Railway Project scheduled for Oct. 18. Wang pointed out Premier William Lai had promised as recently as Oct. 12 that the railway elevation project, which Changhua residents have been waiting two decades for, would be included in the second phase of the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program. Now, the NDC has canceled its review, turning Lai into a liar.
Politics have meddled in the process, slowing down the entire review process. Or is it administrative idleness?
We can only assess the feasibility after clarifying information such as the amount of land that can be expropriated. We therefore hope the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the county government can supplement this information to make it complete and submit it to us.
In response, the Democratic Progressive Party asked why Wang and the KMT opposed the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program last year but are now always fixated on it. It accused the KMT of making campaign promises and also accused Wang directly of promising to "extend the metro to Yongjing" or "extend the metro to Dacun," saying this violates the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act.
Every time there is an election, they always try to reap the benefits of others' endeavors at the last stage. She (Wang Huei-mei) is now trying to distance herself from the opposition to the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program.
Changhua County's magisterial candidates have made railway elevation and metro construction into campaign issues. Chang Sheng-hsiung, a government adviser, recently published an open letter saying there are four major problems with the railway elevation project, which include design issues, financial planning issues and benefit issues. Moreover, this project would adversely affect Taiwan Railways Administration's bottom line. He urged Lai to postpone the feasibility review and conduct a policy impact assessment.
