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HEALTH
provide temporary accommodation for the stall lessees of Sai Ying Pun Market. Improve- ment works to the existing To Kwa Wan Market in Kowloon City District started. The works include the provision of air-conditioning for the cooked food centre. The cooked food centre at Sai Wan Ho Market was also under renovation for installation of air-conditioning. If the air-conditioning scheme proves successful and cost-effective, consideration will be given to extending it to other existing cooked food centres.
A scheme for contracting-out cleansing operations has been implemented in 28 markets in the urban area - 18 on Hong Kong Island and 10 in Kowloon. A pilot scheme was introduced for markets in the New Territories, at Sha Tin Market, Plover Cove Road Market and Tung Yick Market, in November. If successful, the scheme will be extended to other markets in future.
The Regional Council is responsible for the management of public markets in the New Territories. In 1993, a new market with 35 stalls was commissioned at Mui Wo. This brought the number of markets managed by the council to 47 - providing a total of 5 257 market stalls and 278 cooked food stalls. Another new air-conditioned market with 365 market stalls and 28 cooked food stalls is under construction at Shek Wu Hui and is scheduled for completion in mid-1994.
During the year, the council continued to improve its existing markets. Minor improvement works were carried out in nine markets nominated by the council's district committees. Sha Tin Market was identified as a pilot scheme for implementing long-term - measures, including improvements to toilets, drainage, lighting and ventilation.
Other improvements are in the pipeline. The council's Working Group on Management of Markets has concluded a review on market policy and related management matters, and a report will be submitted to the council in early 1994.
Hawkers
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The Urban Council is responsible for the licensing of street hawkers in the urban area while the Regional Council is responsible for their management in the New Territories. At the end of December 1993, there were 13 606 licensed hawkers in the territory - 780 less than in 1992. The decrease was due to a policy of not issuing or allowing succession of itinerant hawker licences, and to the resiting of on-street hawkers into new markets. The completion of the Java Road Market, Wong Nai Chung Market, Electric Road Market and Ap Lei Chau West Industrial Area Cooked Food Market in 1993 made it possible to resite 210 licensed hawkers formerly trading in the vicinity.
The Urban Council's policy of eventually eliminating itinerant hawker licences was announced in March. Itinerant hawker licences will cease to exist in April 1996. Until then, licence holders are offered the option of surrendering their licences in exchange for either an ex gratia payment at the revised rate of $30,000, a fixed-pitch hawker licence, or a market stall tenancy. By the end of 1993, 640 itinerant hawker licences had been surrendered under this policy.
Following the recommendations of the council's Working Party on Hawker and Related Policies, efforts have been made to relax the issue of hawker licences to a limited extent. About 263 fixed-pitch newspaper hawker licences have been issued. The issue of other licences will depend on the availability of suitable sites.
The report of a Regional Council working group tasked to examine the legislation, policies and operational strategies against illegal hawking and illegal shop extensions