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(b) How will the Urban Services Department deal with those who have not bid for stalls? and
(c) Is the U.S.D. able to guarantee that there will not be any hawkers around and outside the new Bowrington Road Market so as to protect the interests of those hawkers who are now doing their business inside the Market?
MR. PETER P. F. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND ABATTOIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question, as formulated, concerns the resiting of hawkers formerly trading in the Canal Road market but I assume that it is also intended to cover market stall-holders and I am replying accordingly.
The old Canal Road market, which had to be demolished to make way for the flyover leading to the Aberdeen Tunnel, accommodated 25 market stall-holders. All these stall-holders were invited to attend a restricted auction for market stalls in the new Bowrington Road market which contains 46 market stalls, 253 mini-stalls and 12 cooked food stalls. The market stall-holders were therefore afforded preferential treatment in obtaining new market stalls. In the event, they all took advantage of the opportunity given to them and they are all now operating in the Bowrington Road market.
In addition, there were 215 hawkers who operated from fixed pitches in the hawker bazaar adjacent to the old market and 65 other fixed pitch hawkers in the area. These 280 licensees were invited to bid for market stalls and mini-stalls in the new market. A total of 241 turned up for the auction and 232 successfully bid for stalls. The whereabouts of the 48 licensees who have not been accommodated in the new market are not known. However, it is possible that many had ceased to operate their business before the auction took place.
The opportunity was also given to hawkers selling meat, fish and poultry in the area on an itinerant basis to bid for the market stalls remaining after the former Canal Road market stall-holders had been accommodated. Seven-teen stalls were allocated to the highest bidders. Other itinerant hawkers in the area were invited to bid for mini-stalls. Only 9 mini-stalls (out of a total of 253) are currently vacant. These 9 stalls will be included in the normal monthly auctions of untenanted stalls.
Ten of the 12 cooked food stalls which form a separate cooked food centre on the first floor of the Southern Block of the new market have been leased by former fixed pitch cooked food hawkers. The 2 remaining vacant stalls will be put to restricted auction.
As can be seen from the foregoing facts and figures, the vast majority of hawkers who previously traded in the Wan Chai Road/Bowrington Road area have been accommodated in the new market. Strict enforcement by the General Duties Team has so far ensured that no hawkers operate in the area thereby affecting the business prospects of the market stall lessees. The Department has every intention of ensuring that the present standard of enforcement is maintained.
Moving a large number of hawkers into a new market is no easy task and requires a very considerable amount of detailed planning and co-operation with the hundreds of people involved. Stall-holders and hawkers supported this operation well and business seems to be reasonably good in the new market.
Mr. Chairman, may I also inform Dr. HUANG that, in my experience, this is one of the most successful operations and I hope that it will set an example for the exercise in the years to come.
DR. HUANG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Chan for his reply. Mr. Chan has pointed out what I am most concerned with are the hawkers in the nearby areas. Previously, they were itinerant hawkers. 39 of them did not turn up for the auction. Of course, some of them might not be hawkers any longer. As part of the effort to solve the hawker problem, we are now housing them in markets and this is one of our major steps. Now if these hawkers do not come for the auction, is there any method that we can take to prevent them from hawking elsewhere? Can Mr. Chan give me an answer on this aspect?
MR. CHAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, of course we will not be able to force these 39 stall-holders to come to the auction. This is humanely impossible. Taking this opportunity, may I inform Dr. HUANG that in respect of the two cooked food stalls, the holders would not come to the auction. One of them simply packed up and disappeared and the other had opted for an off-street bazaar site and I think we will have no problem in accommodating him.
MOTIONS
1. MR. SHUM CHOI-SANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, moved the following motion:
'RESOLVED that the Hawker (Amendment) By-laws 1979 be made under section 83A of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'
He said (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I rise to move the motion standing in my name.
The purpose of the Hawker (Amendment) By-laws now before you is to increase the fees for the issue and renewal of all hawker licences in the urban areas with effect from 1 March 1980. Part I of the Amendment By-laws stipulates the new licence fees for hawker licences in the various categories,
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