Lawyer Li Zhiyong from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm's application for information disclosure was reported by Southern Metropolis Daily.
Yesterday, Lawyer Li Zhiyong from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm applied to the Provincial Department of Transportation for information disclosure, requesting to 'disclose the repayment and income and expenditure of the province's highway loans,' which was reported by Southern Metropolis Daily.
[Appendix: Original Report]
Lawyer Li Zhiyong: The government's involvement in investing in highways should not focus solely on profitability
Regarding the statement from private enterprises that they participated in part of the investment in highways and should, according to the spirit of legal contracts, receive returns, Li Zhiyong said that it makes sense to respect the contracts signed by enterprises and they should be allowed to obtain reasonable returns. "But the problem is that many highways are not purely invested in by enterprises; there is also a lot of government investment, so one cannot just emphasize their profitability." Li Zhiyong believes that because information on highway investment, loans, equity structures, specific toll expenses, etc., is not transparent enough, citizens generally have only a vague understanding. "Our long-term goal is to promote free highways; the current goal is to push for transparency and openness in highway tolls, or to promote their reduction."
Following Lin Hui and other provincial people's congress deputies issuing the 'Ten Questions to the Provincial Department of Transportation,' on the evening of January 19, Li Zhiyong, a lawyer from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm, also submitted a government information disclosure request to the Provincial Department of Transportation, requesting the department to publish the investment, loans, repayments, and revenue and expenditure details of all expressways in the province. In response, the Provincial Department of Transportation stated that it had not yet received Li Zhiyong's request and would respond after confirmation.
"The expensive tolls on highways seriously affect the national economy and daily life. I hope to promote the free passage of highways in China, and I ask supporters to support this." On the evening of the 19th, Li Zhiyong posted an announcement on his personally verified Weibo, stating that he had submitted a government information disclosure request to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation and requested the disclosure of the following content:
“1. The names of all expressways within Guangdong Province; 2. The total investment of each expressway; 3. The loan amounts, repayment terms, and repayment status of each expressway; 4. The approved start and end dates for toll collection of each expressway; 5. The annual vehicle toll revenue of each expressway from the start of approved toll collection up to December 31, 2013; 6. The expenditure items and amounts of the annual vehicle toll revenue of each expressway.”
Yesterday morning, Li Zhiyong said that he was not clear about the fact that several provincial deputies to the provincial people's congress, including Lin Hui, had proposed suggestions demanding a price reduction on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway. "(The application for information disclosure) is part of a public interest legal action carried out by some online lawyers who are enthusiastic about public welfare. At present, apart from my application for information disclosure submitted to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation, lawyers in Shandong and Shaanxi have also respectively submitted relevant information disclosure applications to the local provincial Departments of Transportation."
[Attachment: Original link]
http://epaper.oeeee.com/A/html/2014-01/21/node_523.htm
http://epaper.oeeee.com/A/html/2014-01/21/content_2012738.htm
