HE SAID THE
RESIDENTS
31
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1988
COMPLAINED OF
EXCESSIVE NOISE FROM
FACTORIES AROUND THEM.
AND, ON ANALYSIS, IT APPEARED THAT THE RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS IN AN AREA WHICH HAD
WERE RECENTLY BEEN ZONED BOARD AS "COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL" ALTHOUGH THE AREA
BY THE TOWN PLANNING AN INDUSTRIAL ZONE.
WAS FORMERLY IN
THE RESULT WAS THAT THE EXISTING FACTORY BUILDINGS IN THE WERE NOT REQUIRED TO BE DEMOLISHED.
ZONE
OF HAVING BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
THE CASE UNDERLINED THE IMPORTANCE CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN THE TOWN PLANNING AND AUTHORITIES, HE SAID.
MR LEE SAID ANOTHER DIFFICULTY HIGHLIGHTED GARDENS CASE WAS THAT EACH OF THE
BY THE TSURN TAK FACTORY INDUSTRIAL BLOCK APPARENTLY DID NOT
UNITS IN THE RELEVANT EMIT EXCESSIVE CONTRAVENE THE PROVISIONS OF THE BILL, BUT THE CUMULATIVE
NOISE AS WOULD THE NOISE COMING
EFFECT OF FROM ALL THE UNITS IN CONSTITUTE SUCH AN OFFENCE.
THE SAME BLOCK WOULD
UNDER THE PRESENT SYSTEM AN OPERATOR OF A LARGE EMITTED EXCESSIVE NOISE COULD BE DEALT WITH BY LAW: BUT FACTORY AREA HAD BEEN OCCUPIED BY SEPARATE UNITS, EMITTING JOINTLY THE SAME LEVEL OF NOISE,
OPERATORS
COULD BE PROSECUTED.
THEN
FACTORY WHICH IF THE SAMB IN DIFFERENT NONE OF THEM
HONG
THIS WAS NOT LOGICAL, HE SAID, ADDING SHOULD ADDRESS THE PROBLEM URGENTLY AS IT OCCURRED FREQUENTLY IN
THAT THE GOVERNMENT KONG.
TURNING TO THE QUESTION OF PENALTY, MR LEE NOTED THAT WHEN WHITE BILL RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER WAS PUBLISHED IN MARCH YEAR, IT CONTAINED A PENALTY CLAUSE OF A MAXIMUM FINE OF TWO YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT FOR SERIOUS VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW.
THE LAST
$100,000 OR
LOBBY, THE RANGING BETWEEN
BUT UPON THE OBJECTIONS OF THE INDUSTRIALIST PRESENT PENALTIES WERE CONFINED TO FINES ALONE, $5,000 AND $100,000,
ΤΟ ENCOURAGE
50,
"CONCERNED GROUPS HAVE EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THIS IS LIKELY
BLATANT BREACHES OF THE LAW BY OPERATORS WHENEVER IT IS IN THEIR FINANCIAL INTEREST
CERTAIN FACTORY EXAMPLE, WHEN GOODS HAVE TO BE PRODUCED
TO DO
FOR THEIR CONTRACT COMMITMENTS,
IN ORDER TO MEET
HE SAID.
URGENTLY
HE SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO HAVE IMPRISONMENT A PENALTY FOR PERSISTENT OFFENDERS IN ORDER TO GIVE REAL TEETH TO BILL.
AS
THE
MR LEE