HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
495
Inygiene conditions of Urban Council markets in the past ten-odd years? When a large-scale clean-up is to be carried out now, how come even a cleansing contractor cannot fulfill the requirements of the Department? Will the Department's way of doing things solve problems? These two incidents have actually revealed bad scheming on the part of the Urban Services Department in market management in the past. On the other hand, these 2 incidents have provided an opportunity for the Urban Council to think seriously about what should be done to solve market problems. In this regard, I would like to give some views for the Council's consideration.
Firstly, we should press the Central Government vigorously for suitable market sites. In the past, some of the market sites were in areas where the transport infrastructure could not cope with the development. As we had no other alternative, we had to build markets on those sites. However, since the sites were entirely unsuitable for market operations, it was not financially viable for street traders to operate there. Thus, our markets finally 'died off'. Very often our markets are in close proximity to each other, with one Urban Council market on one street and another one on the next street. Let me cite Choi Hung Road Market as an example. The new Tai Shing Street Market is located just one street next to it. Under such circumstances, these markets will not be viable at all. Therefore, we must make a strenuous effort to press the Central Government for suitable market sites in future.
Secondly, we should expedite the redevelopment of old markets, including the Central Market (the redevelopment of which has been under discussion for quite a number of years) and the Shau Kei Wan Market etc. In terms of design, the sizes of stalls and the air-conditioning system (there is practically no air-conditioning at all), these markets simply cannot meet the present needs of the people. We must step up efforts to redevelop these markets without further delay.
Thirdly, I hope that we will make a determination to ban non-retail stalls as soon as possible because non-retail stalls inside markets often lead to a weakening of their viability. We certainly must also pay attention to the hygiene conditions of markets to ensure that they provide foodstuffs and other commodities to the public in a clean and tidy environment. It is my hope that all arrangements and matters concerning markets will ultimately be placed within the ambit of market management. A market with good design and facilities cannot be considered as a good market if its management is poor. Therefore market management will become a new subject for more and more reviews in future. I hope that the Market Sub-Committee and the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee will take various views into consideration so that the public can have nice and well-regulated markets.
These are my remarks.
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