PROFITEERING:The Taoyuan Irrigation Association has allegedly leased out public land on which illegal structures have been built, according to the district forestry office
Taipei Times
Date: Jul 26, 2015
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter
The Hsinchu Forest District Office plans to file charges against the privately owned Taoyuan
A a sign on a fence in Taoyuan’s Dasi District yesterday urges people to “Keep clear of the driveway. Photo: Sean Lin, Taipei Times
Irrigation Association over the organization’s alleged profiteering by occupying and leasing out four plots of public land covering more than 226,000m2 in a Shihmen Reservoir catchment basin.
The Water Resources Agency’s Geographic Data System shows that the plots are in the No. 4 National Forest, overseen by the Forestry Bureau.
The plots are close to Taoyuan’s Dasi District (大溪) and have a combined market value of about NT$140 million (US$4.44 million), the data showed.
An independent investigation by Green Formosa Front standing director Lin Chang-mao (林長茂) found that a mountain road leading to the plots had been fenced off twice, with a sign on a gate further down the road reading: “Fierce dogs inside. Do not enter.” [FULL STORY]
