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I should, however, point out that there is a very considerable difference between the emissions from the Green Island Cement Company and that from the Power Station. The smoke from the Cement Company consists mainly of dust which can be and is being trapped by the electro-static precipitators which have been installed, and the nuisance has thus been very largely removed.
The main nuisance from the Power Station, in common with other power stations throughout the world, is due to sulphur dioxide gas which is produced by the burning of fuel oil containing sulphur. Members will no doubt be aware that the Power Company and Government together recently sponsored a study by two experts from the Central Electricity Generating Board in Britain whose Report is now being studied. Members will also have noted the comments on the report made by the Chairman of the Power Company at its Annual General Meeting recently held.
Many factors will have to be weighed in deciding the ultimate solution to this problem, but I think it is clear that both the Company and Government are tackling the matter seriously. I think Members may be assured that action will be taken in the best interests of the Colony as soon as the Report has been fully considered. I cannot see any further steps that this Council or the Urban Services Department can take at the present time.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Mr. Chairman, as the Urban Council is part of Government in the context of this reply, can we have your assurance that this Council will be kept fully informed of progress in this matter as we go along?
CHAIRMAN:--Yes, Sir, we will inform the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee whenever we have anything useful to tell the Committee.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Whenever we have anything useful, and important.
CHAIRMAN:--And important.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Thank you.
(4) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:--
What can be done to improve the neighbourhood of Mong Kok Market? Is the Chairman aware that Nelson Street is so full of illegal hawkers and poultry hawkers that I find difficulty in negotiating a passage through that street in the course of my duty? Can some sort of bazaar be formed to improve the sanitary condition of this region, and more staff be placed on duty to keep the region in a cleaner state of affairs quickly before the onset of the Chinese New Year?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:--
The Mong Kok Market and the surrounding streets have been the principal marketing area for this district since before the last war. The market itself is a very old one which is too small to serve the present population of this area, and an item to cover its re-building has been included in Category C of the Public Works Programme. The shortage of space in the existing market is one of the main reasons for the congestion of the surrounding streets.
In Canton Road, Nelson Street and the streets immediately adjacent to the Mong Kok Market, there are 240 licensed fixed pitch stalls and a further 469 pedlar hawkers, about half of whom operate from static stalls. During a recent visit to the area there were, in addition, 74 hawkers selling poultry, meat, fish or cooked food.
It is doubtful whether anything can be done in the immediate future to relieve congestion in the area. It can be assumed that the hawkers would be reluctant to move away from the market and the fresh provision shops in the immediate vicinity to other streets lacking these advantages, even though there were more space. Additional sites in the market itself will only be available after it has been re-built. This will be a major project which will have to be considered in relation to other equally urgent items in the market rebuilding programme.
The area is kept as clean as possible by the Cleansing Division and is swept four times daily by beat labourers. In addition, the streets are washed approximately three times in each period of 10 days by special cleansing squads working by day or by night. Over and above this, an operation has recently been organized in conjunction with the Police Force to remove all obstructions and unnecessary hawker paraphernalia. This operation will be repeated at regular intervals.
Control of hawkers in this area is the responsibility of the Hawker Control Force and during the month of December 1966, the Force took action against hawkers in a large number of cases either through warnings, charges or sum-
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