A road which collapsed on July 2, at Yucca Villas, an exclusive area of Sha Tin, leaving 200 residents stranded with no vehicular access, was left for two months in a state of disrepair. Repair work did not start until August 29.
As early as July 4, numerous follow-up phone calls were made to Sha Tin District Office, in particular to Wong Mei Lin, Officer in Charge (many of which went unanswered) requesting action to be taken.
Residents were initially informed that repair work would commence on July 9 or July 10; this did not materialise - mud was merely removed from the site. Residents sent various correspondence recording the situation and eventually on July 30, the Government informed some residents that repair work could commence mid-August, pending 'tendering procedures'. This was one month later than it had originally stated.
When work did eventually commence on August 29, large quantities of mud were removed from the site and dumped at the end of Yung Ping Path, causing inconvenience and danger to residents. Once again residents notified the relevant government departments in writing, but to date residents have received no reply from the Government and the large mound of mud has not been removed.
On July 30 we were further advised that work which commenced on August 29, would take up to two months, leaving a period of four months from a state of collapse to completion.
During this four-month period residents will have been greatly inconvenienced as it is virtually impossible to gain access to carry out daily duties, such as deliveries and maintenance procedures. The elderly and infirm are confined to their homes, as they are unable to make the 10-minute walk along a mud strewn path. It is necessary for residents to park their vehicles in a public place, more than 10 minutes from their homes, at the same time continuing to pay rates for services which are not available to them. The most important question, however, to remain unanswered is why did it take two months to start repair work, and why is it taking a further two months to carry out such repair work? All residents have been left confused and frustrated at the lack of government action and concern; in particular the inefficient way the repair work has been handled.
