Several hundred families who first lost their homes to the Three Gorges Dam project are now faced with losing their nearly completed residences, along with their life savings, in the resettlement area in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. They are pointing the finger at the antics of corrupt builders and the ineptitude of local officials.
According to official statistics, there are 1.4 million evacuees from the Three Gorges Dam project. Zhuyi Town, Fengjie County, within the Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, is one of the places allocated for the resettlement of Three Gorges Dam evacuees. Part of the land in Zhuyi Town was designated for these immigrants to rebuild on.
In December 2009, six hundred immigrant families jointly purchased four 12-story buildings that were already under construction, which would have provided 30,000 square meters of living space upon completion.
On Aug. 18, 2010, however, the Zhuyi Township government issued a public notice that the four buildings, which are now close to completion, were illegally constructed and will be confiscated and torn down. Furthermore, all incurred expenses and damages are to be paid for by these immigrant families alone.
Most of the families either borrowed money or used their life savings to purchase the apartments. Some of them have already spent around US$20,000, and as such were shocked and dismayed by the unexpected announcement.
Over 100 representatives from the families have been gathering outside the government building for days, waiting for answers to their questions on why it took the government so long to publish the news. As of Aug. 31 they have received no formal response.
Mr. Chen, who invested 80,000 yuan (US$10,000) in the apartment project, told The Epoch Times: “The buildings have been under construction for so long, yet the government did not tell us earlier that they were illegal.”
Another investor, Mr. Mao, said, “What irritates us is that the construction started in November, and we bought the apartments on Dec. 10. Why did the government not intervene and tell us at that time that they were illegal? Why didn’t they tell us not to buy the apartments?”
According to official statistics, there are 1.4 million evacuees from the Three Gorges Dam project. Zhuyi Town, Fengjie County, within the Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, is one of the places allocated for the resettlement of Three Gorges Dam evacuees. Part of the land in Zhuyi Town was designated for these immigrants to rebuild on.
In December 2009, six hundred immigrant families jointly purchased four 12-story buildings that were already under construction, which would have provided 30,000 square meters of living space upon completion.
On Aug. 18, 2010, however, the Zhuyi Township government issued a public notice that the four buildings, which are now close to completion, were illegally constructed and will be confiscated and torn down. Furthermore, all incurred expenses and damages are to be paid for by these immigrant families alone.
Most of the families either borrowed money or used their life savings to purchase the apartments. Some of them have already spent around US$20,000, and as such were shocked and dismayed by the unexpected announcement.
Over 100 representatives from the families have been gathering outside the government building for days, waiting for answers to their questions on why it took the government so long to publish the news. As of Aug. 31 they have received no formal response.
Mr. Chen, who invested 80,000 yuan (US$10,000) in the apartment project, told The Epoch Times: “The buildings have been under construction for so long, yet the government did not tell us earlier that they were illegal.”
Another investor, Mr. Mao, said, “What irritates us is that the construction started in November, and we bought the apartments on Dec. 10. Why did the government not intervene and tell us at that time that they were illegal? Why didn’t they tell us not to buy the apartments?”
