The government proposed amendments to increase the fixed penalty for littering from 1,500 yuan to 3,000 yuan, and the fine for shop obstruction from 3,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan.
Zhuo Yongxing, Deputy Secretary for Administration, said on a radio program this morning (17th) that it is reasonable to increase the fine for street blocking of shops to 6,000 yuan. Threat: "(Fine) When paying the rent, it means paying the expensive rent."
Zhuo Yongxing expects that the law will be passed and officially implemented in the middle of next year. He pointed out that most of the street blocking by shops occurs during the day, and they will be required to remove it within a limited time. The current 4-hour time limit is too long, and he will consider shortening it to half an hour.
As for the first phase of the anti-sanitary blackspot plan launched in August, 70% to 80% of the blackspots have been improved. However, in order to prevent the recurrence of old habits, the number of blackspots will not be reduced for the time being.
Fines for litter bugs and street obstruction are to be multiplied and progressive fines are not considered for the time being
Zhuo Yongxing pointed out that the fines for littering and street blocking of shops were last revised in 2003. Taking into account the inflation in the past 20 years, the fines for littering should be raised to 2,500 yuan. In addition, the current government attaches great importance to environmental sanitation. Therefore, the fine amount was increased to 3,000 yuan.
He continued that the problem of shops blocking the street is more serious than littering, so it is reasonable to propose increasing the fine to 6,000 yuan.
Regarding the proposal by some councilors to change the fines for street blocking of shops into progressive fines, so as to prevent shops from "paying fines as rent", Zhuo Yongxing said that a fine of 6,000 yuan has a deterrent effect. Formal fines require time and cost to establish a database, which will not be considered at present.
Zhuo Yongxing.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei/File photo)
Application Procedures for Reduced Garbage House Entry Order
He expects that the relevant bill will be submitted to the Legislative Council for consideration in the middle of next year, considering the second phase of empowering FEHD staff to issue tickets and remove objects without the need for the police to cooperate in law enforcement.
He pointed out that the government will also review other health-related laws, including studying legislation to prohibit feeding rats, and avoiding the procedure of applying for house entry orders to the court to deal with garbage houses.
Push the website for reporting stubborn health black spots and pretend to be a closed circuit
Zhuo Yongxing mentioned that a webpage for reporting health blackspots will be launched next month, listing the health blackspots in Hong Kong in the form of a map, showing the situation of the blackspots before and after the authorities' actions, and citizens can also enter the address to search.
He said that if the public finds that the black spot has returned to its old ways, they can report it on the website, or propose to list the new spot as a hygiene black spot.
He said that the government will closely monitor all black spots, and consider installing closed-circuit television surveillance for serious black spots.
The government has listed more than 600 sanitation black spots, and the picture shows a mountain of styrofoam boxes piled up on the sidewalk.
(Photo by Zeng Fengting/File photo)
8,000 rats caught in nighttime rodent control in District 18
Zhuo Yongxing said that the government will launch a territory-wide rodent eradication operation and will announce the details by the end of December.
He mentioned that the government has used rat glue in places where rats are seriously infested, and emphasized that in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be used to balance all parties and not just caring for animals.
He also mentioned that the newly established night rodent control team in District 18 had caught a total of 8,000 rats until November.
From July to October, 6,000 live rats were caught. Zhuo Yongxing plans to introduce a new method to eradicate rats: if it is serious, he will use rat glue. Sanitation black spots are likely to be improved. Century Cooked Food Market has been reduced to Rat Paradise and the back alleys are equipped with rodent control camps, but not listed in the list of health black spots︱The black spots will be cleaned up in August. In October, the city will be changed and night rodent control teams will be set up, or regulations will be revised to increase penalties. More than 2,000 sanitation black spots were inspected and a total of 58 cases were prosecuted. FEHD's rodent control effectiveness is doubtful
