OPINION> Commentary
Public good must come first
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-04 07:43

It looks as if roads are not built for public good when their completion gets inordinately delayed and no one comes up giving an explanation and an apology, says an article on the website www.china.com.cn. The following is an excerpt:

A 497-m-long road in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, has not been completed nine months after the construction began, severely affecting the lives of people living nearby.

Roads are of course supposed to be built for public good, but road building will definitely have an impact on the living conditions of people residing nearby, especially when an inordinate delay happens.

Now, because of the unfinished road, people have to wear masks, close windows and live in houses without power; manholes are uncovered. There are no obvious signs to warn passers-by of the risks; the road is buried if it rains heavily.

As is known, any construction project has a budget before it kicks off, including costs of things like materials and capital and a definite completion date. And the budget must get verified and approved by the government.

What on earth are the factors that delay the completion of a road less than half a kilometer? We know there must be multiple reasons behind it. So the public needs to have an explanation and an apology from someone who has to be held accountable for the delay and the consequent impacts on people' lives.

Without a clear explanation and an apology, similar delays in road building will happen again and affect people' lives.

(China Daily 02/04/2009 page4)