District 18 News
Written by Li Yinglin, Liao Junsheng, Lu Nuojun
2019-11-20 17:23
Last updated date: 2019-11-20 17:23A few days before the polling day of the district board elections, many people are still trying to canvass for the elections, hoping to bring more yuan into the parliament and ensure that resources in the community can be used in people's livelihood matters. In fact, in the past, the Parliament passed a number of controversial projects known as "Little White Elephants". Many of the projects were costly, which attracted the dissatisfaction of the local people. The building that was approved as "disturbing the people and meaningless", the new district council is coming soon. Is this situation expected to improve?
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Tsuen Wan District: After the demolition and re-opening of $130 million to redevelop the West Point Corner Garden
Adjacent to the West Tower Corner Garden at Tsuen Wan MTR Station, it was refurbished to be a $130 million project approved by the District Council. At the time, the Chief Executive, Mr Leung Chun-ying, launched a community key project in 2013 to allocate $100 million to the District Councils. The Tsuen Wan District Council passed the project in March of the same year. It used $100 million for demolition and redevelopment of the West Point Garden. Raise the first floor and connect the footbridge of the MTR Tsuen Wan Station and transform the lower level into a multi-purpose activity room for 200 people.
The event room, which was built on the ground floor of the garden, has been criticized by local people as the most expensive community hall in Hong Kong. Some district board members have proposed to redevelop the ground floor into a transportation hub to alleviate traffic congestion in the vicinity. Accepted. After the redevelopment project was approved by the District Council, it was also approved by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in 2015. The project was launched in November 2016 and the garden was officially opened in September this year.
Zhao Enlai, a Labour Party community officer, said that after the garden was opened, residents had rest and danced there on weekdays, but the usage rate was not high: "The most people use it to play Liang Tianqi's documentary ("Earth Height") and "Disappeared Files" "The time." The community hall has not been used by the Home Affairs Department and it has not been used.
With 130 million yuan to demolish the garden and rebuild it, Zhao Enlai said frankly that it is "very unnecessary". It means that the dental and elderly services in the district are insufficient. It is believed that about 100 million yuan will be better for the relevant services. Although the community halls in the district are not enough to meet the needs of the residents, they have built a large number of "mosquito-type" activity rooms. He thinks that the social benefits brought by this are not high: "There is not enough in the community, but whether it should be replaced by 100 million yuan? There are many existing properties and they can be converted into community halls."
Some facilities in the district are cost-effective
The District Council has an annual funding of $15 million for the sub-district works. The Tsuen Wan District Council has also approved $1.2 million in the early years to build the sculpture of the Deep Well Goose. Some District Councillors have proposed that there are many butterflies inhabited by Chuan Long. , the construction of butterfly sculpture landmarks, but the suggestion is not in the controversy. Zhao Enlai also pointed out that the members of the district were inclined to use the funds to build facilities such as rain shelters and upper covers: "It is not that the rain shelters are useless, but sometimes the cost-effectiveness is to "lease the channels." The location where no one passes, disguised is uninhabited. Over time, it forms a "little white elephant": "The Home Affairs Department is also responsible for inspecting the area and seeing how many people will benefit from the construction."
Where should the money be spent? In addition to the elderly services, Zhao also said that the combination mailbox of Baitianba Village was damaged when the super typhoon mangroves hit last year. It has not been repaired yet: "There are not many voters there, so there are not many people." In the case of the postman, the postman needs to go to the village to send a letter from house to house. He thinks that the district board should use the resources for such people's livelihood matters: "It is better to have a rain shelter."
Eastern District: 90 million yuan to build a cultural square
As a key project of the community, the construction of the Eastern District Cultural Square was defeated by the establishment of the TCM Comprehensive Clinic and the Community Comprehensive Health Centre in 2013. It was approved by the District Council to revitalise the waterfront and surrounding areas of the Aldrich Bay and the Eastern District. Construction of venues for events and entertainment. The square has a main stage with a covered top, a small stage, and an open-air plaza. However, the design of the open-air plaza has been criticized for participating in the activities of the public. The project was eventually funded by the Legislative Council for more than $90 million. Construction started in 2016 and was launched in March this year.
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Kwun Tong District: Kwun Tong Music Fountain, worth 50 million yuan
The small white elephant caused a very controversial community key project, which was built by the Kwun Tong District Council to build a 50 million yuan musical fountain. The Kwun Tong District Council passed in 2013 and will use 100 million yuan for the construction of the Chong Yan Street Elevator Tower and the Kwun Tong Waterfront Music Fountain. The proposed former member of the DAB, Mr. Pan Jinyuan, who is planning to build a musical fountain, can refer to Dubai. The music fountain hopes to build new tourist attractions.
The music fountain has caused many controversies in the society. It was still approved by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council at the end of 2018. Some members of the Kwun Tong District Council submitted their documents at the last meeting of the Kwun Tong District Council in September this year. At the preparatory meeting in July, it was pointed out that due to the increase in engineering fees, it was necessary to reduce the size of the fountain. Therefore, the project was put on hold, but the meeting ended because of the insufficient attendance.
Kwai Fong's "River City Hill Grave" has caused a lot of concern earlier. (reported by respondents)
Kwai Tsing and Tuen Mun District: Bypassing the District Council "Wu San Shan Tomb"
During the period from July to August last year, buildings in the Kwai Tsing and Tuen Mun districts were ridiculed as "Harmony Hill Graves". They caused heated discussions among neighbours and netizens. They were also criticized for failing to consult the public or district board members through the District Councils. Among them, at the junction of Kwai Chung Plaza and Metroplaza, a few months ago, a green brick hill with a middle arch was suddenly added. The exhibits are built with undulating hill-shaped silhouettes of floor tiles for people to sit down and meet, but it is also said to be accompanied by a warning of "Do not climb." At that time, the artwork was criticized as a tomb. Others thought that the design was chaotic as "construction waste". Because the exhibits were built on the side of the road, the ancestors had to "eat dust" when they sat down to rest.
In order to celebrate the 20th year of Hong Kong's return to the previous year (2017), the Development Bureau and the Institute of Architects collaborated to organize the "Urban Art Salon Public Art" competition. The environmentally-friendly Brick Hill is one of the award-winning works called "Safe Island" ( Safe Island). It is understood that the exhibits will be extended for no more than one year, and together with the demolition works, the total cost will be capped at HK$850,000. At that time, some Kwai Tsing District Council members criticized the Development Bureau for "airborne" exhibits without consulting the District Boards. They did not respect the wishes of the District Boards and residents. The "Sand Graves" had been cleared in about two months.
In August, similar buildings were also found in Tuen Mun District. At the entrance of Huangzhu Road near Cuining Garden in Youai Village, on the short road between the flowerbed and the light railroad track, there are suddenly two stone-built hemisphere buildings. Some people think that it is like a tortoise shell and it is like an ancient tomb. "Mountain grave", but the purpose is unknown. Some District Council members in Tuen Mun District explained that they had repeatedly received complaints from the Government departments because they had received complaints. The Transport Department had proposed to construct bicycle berths at that location. Members and local people opposed it and set aside it, but then inexplicably appeared in a brick masonry.
According to the Transport Department, at the time, the District Council’s southeastern district committee, district board members and members of the public had received questions about illegal gambling. After consulting the police and other relevant departments, the relevant public works departments were arranged to rock in the relevant locations. Qiu Yuanjing to reduce illegal gambling. The Transport Department said that these "Hmok hills" cost about $200,000 and the design is generally used under the flyover. As a result of these a few hemispheres, a lot of attention was raised. As a result, in the course of the week, Ishigaki had been dismantled by the Transport Department.
Tai Po District: 6.3 million yuan in the head of the rain shelter in the head of the corner
One of the discussion papers of the Tai Po District Council District Facilities Management Committee last July was to add a rain shelter of about 68 square meters and 2.5 meters high in the forehead. The initial estimated cost was 6.3 million. Because there are not many people there, and there is already a shelter from the original location, many district board members have criticized the high cost and questioned whether there is a need for additional construction. The last proposed Tai Po District Councillor, Huang Bijiao, decided to "withdraw" the project and abandoned the construction of the rain shelter.
In addition to the above, there are other "Little White Elephant" projects in each district:
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Zhao Enlai was elected as a candidate for the district congress election in Liwan, and another candidate was Lin Biaobin.
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District 18 News Kwun Tong Community Tsuen Wan Community Kwai Tsing Estate Tuen Mun Estate Eastern District Community District Council District Council Election 2019