Hong Kong lawmakers ‘in dark’ over basement bill
As Legco subcommittee waves through HK$3.6b for controversial feature at West Kowloon culture hub, questions are asked over just how much it will finally cost
A request for HK$3.6 billion to build part of an integrated basement at the West Kowloon Cultural District will go before the Finance Committee.
The controversial project, which is bound to incur hefty cost overruns, was approved by the public works subcommittee of the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
The government was criticised by the pan-democrat camp for failing to estimate the total cost of the basementand the development income generated by commercial facilities in the district.
In 2014, the government said the whole basement would cost about HK$23 billion, but critics fear the real cost will exceed HK$30 billion.