HEALTH
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To tackle late night or early morning illegal hawking activities at major blackspots, the Regional Task Forces (formed by hawker control teams and directly under Regional command) of the USD also worked on a special overnight shift with satisfactory outcome.
Through constant vigilance and action, the RSD's 82 Hawker Control Teams, reduced the number of illegal hawkers in the New Territories to 1 400 by the end of the year. About 1 480 hawkers held valid licences during the year to operate either fixed pitches or on an itinerant basis. The Regional Council has ceased issuing hawker licences except for purpose-built cooked food stalls.
The RSD's Hawker Control Teams secured 44 000 court convictions for hawking offences during the year by both licensed and unlicensed hawkers. Hawker Handling Centres at Yuen Long and Tai Po police stations proved a success in dealing with hawking arrest and charging procedures and the RSD plans to extend this system.
Abattoirs
There are two abattoirs in the urban area and three slaughterhouses in the New Territories. The Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir is run by the Urban Council and the others are managed by licensed private operators. In the long term, a new slaughterhouse will be built in the New Territories near Sheung Shui, to replace the existing urban abattoirs as well as the Yuen Long Slaughterhouse.
During the year, these abattoirs and slaughterhouses handled 2 532 046 pigs, 80 042 cattle and 7080 goats, which accounted for virtually all of the local fresh meat supply. All slaughtered animals were inspected by qualified health inspectors of the municipal services departments.
The USD and RSD also maintain vigilance against illegal slaughtering activities. In 1996, health inspectors carried out 79 raids on suspected illegal slaughterhouses. Staff also carried out spot checks on meat stalls and 20 persons were prosecuted for possessing unstamped carcasses for sale.
Cemeteries and Crematoria
In land-short Hong Kong, the government encourages cremation rather than burial of the dead. During the year, about 80 per cent of the territory's dead were cremated. Human remains buried in public cemeteries have to be exhumed after six years and are either cremated or re-interred in an urn cemetery.
The Urban Council operates one public funeral parlour in Kowloon which provides free funeral services for the needy and three service halls are open to the public free of charge. The council manages five public cemeteries and two public crematoria, and monitors 18 private cemeteries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission manages two war cemeteries.
The RSD manages four public crematoria and six public cemeteries in the New Territories. It also oversees nine private cemeteries and six private crematoria. Columbaria are provided at Kwai Chung, Fu Shan, Cheung Chau, Wo Hop Shek, Lamma and Peng Chau for the disposal of cremated ashes.