Villagers object to Route 10 evictions

Residents of a Tuen Mun village have hit out at the Government's Route 10 project, which goes before the Legislative Council's Finance Committee for approval of crucial funding today.

The head of Fuk Hang Chuen in Lam Tei has written to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa voicing opposition to the $22 billion project.

The Finance Committee will vote today for the $133.7 million funding application for detailed design of Route 10. The highway, which will run parallel to the existing Route 3, will connect the future Shenzhen Western Corridor with northeast Lantau via the planned Tsing Lung Bridge.

The Route 3 operator has complained that under-use of that highway has left it with an accumulated loss of more than $800 million, while the Government has produced consultancy figures maintaining Route 3 will be saturated before 2011.

The administration insists there is an urgent need to plan and build Route 10 now, although the opening for the northern section, scheduled for 2008, could be further reviewed.

Fuk Hang Chuen head Fung Yau-wai said the project would see 100 families evicted from the village to make way for a roundabout for Route 10. Talks over the past two years had failed to arrive at a satisfactory level of compensation for affected villagers, Mr Fung said.

'Many of the affected residents rented their houses and have lived in the village for many years.

'But the asset assessment policy will mean they will probably receive nothing and will have to look for resettlement themselves.'

The Hong Kong Institute of Architects last week expressed concern over the hefty costs of the project and its urgency.

President Patrick Lau Sau-shing said the road appeared to be unnecessary at the moment and urged the Government to postpone construction.