More democratic, or time-consuming and doomed to fail? Hong Kong government’s HK$100 million grants to district councils remain mostly unspent
Plan for musical fountains along Kwun Tong promenade among many still on the drawing board, with some other ideas scrapped entirely
Ho Kai-ming, a district councillor for Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong area, once envisaged taking his baby to see the music fountains on the area’s promenade, and looking across Victoria Harbour.
The fountains project, announced in 2013, was to cost HK$50 million. The idea was to revitalise the local area by getting people to enjoy walking along the waterfront. There would be “dynamic lighting, music features and special effects”.
It was part of the government’s Signature Project Scheme, announced in 2013, under which each district council would get a one-off grant of HK$100 million to pay for one or two big works to upgrade the quality of life locally.
“My son will have grown up when it is completed,” Ho, also a legislative councillor with the Federation of Trade Unions, said, referring to his two-year-old. He described the project as a “chicken rib”, a Chinese term meaning it has little value but it would be a pity discard it.