【明報專訊】HOW much will the cost of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) project amount to? Now a new estimate puts it at $90 billion, which, if correct, will imply that the project will cost around $25 billion more than intended. However, neither the MTR Corporation Ltd (MTRCL) nor the government has been frank about the extent of the cost overrun, leaving people worried that the taxpayer may, once again, be unjustly made to foot the bill for the MTRCL's poor management and the government's inadequate supervision. In recent years, cost overruns of public construction projects have been the norm rather than the exception, and the government has not skimped on dealing with them. But, on the other hand, it has been too stingy to devote enough resources to cope with the needs of the elderly population. "Public resources are limited and have to be used properly," the government keeps saying. However, there is a world of difference between its spending on cost overruns of projects and that on the elderly population, leaving many wondering who is to blame for Hong Kong's deep-seated problems, which include the rich-poor gap and inadequate care for the elderly.