Taipei, May 22 (CNA) Just two days after ordering a halt in work on the Taipei Dome project because of safety concerns, the Taipei City government said Friday that construction on the southern side of the dome and near the Bannan Metro Line could resume.

That was the conclusion of officials from the city government and the dome's main contractor the Farglory Group following a meeting Friday.

Lin Jou-min (林洲民), director of Taipei's Department of Urban Development, defended the city government's decision and said it was not a flip-flop.

Based on safety considerations, it was decided that Farglory Group could resume construction after first reporting to the city government, Lin said.

"It will start construction from the underground sites, especially those near the southern side of the dome and areas near the Bannan Line," Lin said.

How much of the construction project will be allowed to proceed remained undetermined Friday, with discussions on when work on other parts of the project can resume to be held in a meeting Monday night.

Lin noted that Farglory said it would immediately resume partial construction and said the city government welcomed the company's good will.

A Farglory Group executive, said, however that partial resumption of construction would not "guarantee safety."

Farglory Vice President Tsai Tzung-yi (蔡宗易) said the Taipei Dome project was in a balanced state, but that after the abrupt order from the city government to stop work, the project had become potentially unsafe.

He suggested that it would be best if the underground base were completed, but if urgent needs were considered then work should also be resumed immediately near the nearby historic heritage site -- the Songshan Tobacco Plant.

(By Huang Li-yun, Pan Chi-yi and Lilian Wu)
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