Demolition campaign cleans up Fuxing Island
An array of illegal structures have been demolished on Fuxing Island in the first round of a campaign to clean up its environment and crack down on zoning violations.
The 1.2-square-kilometer island on the Huangpu River is known for is history and attractive scenery. Recently though, residents have complained about a proliferation of illegal structures, as well as fire hazards posed by small factories and workshops.
The Yangpu District government has already bulldozed over 3,400 square meters of illegally-built dwellings and warehouses at a company lot on 167 Gongqing Road, the district government said.
The lot belongs to a local cement company, but had been rented out to smaller businesses and entrepreneurs who built illegal structures for manufacturing, storage and waste recycling.
All tenants have been cleared from the site and violations have been rectified, said Yang Genhua, director of the comprehensive management office for the island.
“A total of some 15,000 square meters of illegal commercial buildings based on the island will be torn down by June this year,” Yang said.
A joint law enforcement team from various government bodies has been organized to achieve this objective.
According to the latest master plan from the city government, the island in Yangpu District has been listed as “strategic reserved land,” meaning that no major development can take place there.
A resident surnamed Li has complained about noxious open-sewage ditches built by inhabitants of the illegal structures, as well as noise and pollution kicked up by heavy vehicles which often pass outside his community. Some overweight trucks have damaged roads and bridges on the island too.
“The suspension on development doesn’t mean management will also be absent,” said Xie Jiangang, the director of Yangpu.
Plans have been made to regulate 11 areas of concern on the island, including its water, roads, greenery and traffic, according to the district government.
Some problems will be solved first, including those related to fire danger, production safety, pollution, illegal structures and illegal parking.
Companies based on the island are asked to join the campaign and take responsibility for the surrounding environment.
Furthermore, local police have begun using a new monitoring system to crack down on overloaded trucks. The system uses an underground weight sensor, as well as cameras and license-plate reading technology.
It targets trucks leaving the island via Hai’an Road Bridge — one of two bridges between the island and downtown Shanghai. The bridge has a limit of 20 tons, but trucks using it are often overweight.
The main tourist attraction on the island is Fuxing Island Park, opened in 1951. The historic Bailu, or White Cottage, is on the northern end of the park where the former Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek stayed from April 26 to May 7, 1949 before he retreated to Taiwan Island.