New tofu houses in Sichuan

TODAY is the second anniversary of theWenchuan quake. The disaster, whichclaimed about 90,000 lives, remains a greatsorrow of the Chinese nation.

In the wake of the quake, the mainland authoritiespledged that, to do right by the victims, they wouldthoroughly look into the tofu construction scandal. Onthe first anniversary of the earthquake, the Sichuangovernment concluded that victims had died of theforce majeure of the high-magnitude quake and nonehad died because of tofu construction. The mainlandauthorities have since vigorously repressed those whohave brought the tofu construction scandal to light. Theauthorities may think people should look forwardinstead of being entangled in the past. However,because they refuse to face the facts and punish thoseresponsible for tofu constructions, they cannot deterothers, and the problem remains uncured. Ourreporters have returned to the quake zone. There theyhave seen newly completed tofu houses.

They went to Shuangnian Village, Chenjiaba,Beicun, which is under Mianyang's jurisdiction. Theydiscovered that some new houses the local authoritiesand contractors had built there were not safe in normalcircumstances, even less in an earthquake. Aboutthirty two-storey houses have been built in the village.Each storey is 90 square metres in area. One suchhouse costs about 140,000 yuan. The householdseach received a subsidy of 19,000 yuan at most fromthe local government. They had to raise the rest.Without collateral, they each obtained a bank loan of60,000 yuan at most. They had to borrow the rest fromtheir friends and relatives.

After they had returned to Hong Kong, ourreporters showed some pictures they had taken ofhouses there to two experts who are members of theHong Kong Institute of Engineers. Both wereconvinced that those houses were tofu constructions.They said their pillar bases were so shaky that theywere in danger of collapse even when no earthquakethreatened. According to a conscionable Beicuncontractor, those who carry out reconstruction projectsmust follow an unwritten rule governing dealingsbetween corrupt officials and businesses. Someofficials demand a kickback of at least severalthousand yuan for a one-million-yuan contract.Companies awarded reconstruction contracts scampwork and stint material so that their profit margins areas high as 40% . "Thus quake victims' hard-earnedmoney becomes lethal tofu houses!"

Shuangnian Village, Chenjiaba, is to the hugequake-stricken area what a drop is to the ocean. Wehope its tofu constructions are isolated cases.However, the alarming information our reportersgathered during their short trip (including what somecontractors told them) has made us aware that caseslike those in Shuangnian Village are by no means rare.New houses shoddily built with inferior material aboundin the quake-stricken area.

The central government requires local authoritiesto put quality first and be concerned about people'ssafety. There is no doubt about that. However, itcannot prevent official-business collusion or detercontractors from building shoddy houses. In our view,this is the case not only because local officials are vilebut also because none has been held responsiblethough many fell victim to tofu constructions two yearsago in the earthquake. This may have led local officialsto believe there is nothing the central government cando as long as all take bribes and tofu houses are foundeverywhere. If the generality of officials in thequake-stricken area think so, we can only prey for thesafety of those who live there.

There are new tofu houses in the quake-strickenarea. There is nothing the SAR government can doabout it. We can only ask it to do its bit - to make surethat the reconstruction projects it sponsors are of highquality and that they are carried out in a highlytransparent manner. It must not allow any reconstructionproject Hong Kong sponsors to become lethal.

川震重建又有豆腐渣質量重如山只是口號？

今日是四川汶川大地震兩周年，這場奪去約9 萬名同胞性命的災難，至今仍然是民族的大傷痛。

大地震發生之後，內地政府曾經承諾徹查豆腐渣工程，還死者一個公道，但是在地震1 周年之際，四川當局已經有了結論，認為災難主要因為「高強度地震的不可抗力」、「沒有人死於豆腐渣工程」。此後強力打壓民間揭發豆腐渣工程。當局或許認為民衆應該向前看，不要糾纏於過去，但是當局不肯面對事實，不懲治豆腐渣工程的人應得之罪，就無法收懲前毖後，治病救人之效。本報記者今次重返災區，就發現重建中有豆腐渣工程。

記者在地震重災區綿陽市轄下北川鎮陳家壩雙埝村，發現當地政府與施工商重建的樓房，不要說遇到大地震，就算平時也有安全問題。據記者採訪所得，該村重建約30 間雙層樓房，每層面積約90 方米，售價每間約需14 萬元。當地政府每間補助最多1.9 萬元，居民要自行籌措其他費用，由於沒有抵押，居民最多只得到銀行6萬元貸款，其餘不足之數要向親友借貸。

回港後，記者把拍攝得的樓房照片給香港工程師學會2 名專家研判，兩人一致認定這些樓房是豆腐渣，認為樓房連柱底都建得不穩，毋須地震也可能有倒塌危險。北川一名良心建築商則聲稱，災區重建受制於官商勾結的貪腐「潛規則」，部分政府外判百萬工程至少要求回佣數萬元，建築商接工程後再偷工減料，利潤高達40%， 「災民的血汗錢就是這樣變成要命的豆腐渣」。

陳家壩雙埝村在偌大的災區，只是滄海一粟，它的豆腐渣樓房，我們希望只是重建中的孤例。可是在短短的採訪過程中，包括來自個別施工商的信息，使我們驚覺到陳家壩雙埝村的個案，並非個別事件，災區重建偷工減料情况相當普遍。

中央對於重建要求質量為先，以人民生命安全為念，完全不用置疑，卻阻止不了地方上官商勾結，偷工減料；我們認為，除了地方官員的劣根性，兩年前大地震豆腐渣工程害了這麼多人，卻無任何人需要負責，對此，地方官員可能解讀為：只要大家都貪，造成豆腐渣工程遍地開花的既定事實，則中央最終也無可奈何。如果這是災區地方官員的普遍「認知」，則我們只能為災區居民的安危祈禱了。

特區政府對於災區重建出現豆腐渣工程，無旋轉乾坤之力，我們只能要求特區政府做好本分，於援建項目做好質量把關工夫，以重質重量、高度透明的方式全面落實，絕對不能出現有朝一日，香港援建的項目成為殺人項目的情况。

Glossary

sorrow

cause of sorrow.

force majeure /?f ɔ:s ma'??:(r)/irresistible compulsion or coercion.

scamp /skamp/

do in a perfunctory or inadequate way.