XN000022-1992-11-18 — Page 36

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1992

ORDER

IF A DEFECTIVE BUILDING COULD REASONABLY BE REPAIRED, AN WOULD BE SERVED UPON THE OWNER REQUIRING NECESSARY WORKS TO BE CARRIED OUT TO MAKE THE BUILDING SAFE.

WHERE A BUILDING WAS CONSIDERED TO BE BEYOND REPAIR, TOTAL DEMOLITION WOULD BE ENFORCED BY THE ISSUE OF A DEMOLITION ORDER.

FLAT OWNERS MIGHT BE FINED UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $50,000 OR BE IMPRISONED FOR UP TO ONE YEAR FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH A DEMOLITION ORDER, MR SAMSON SAID.

IN 1990, THE BOO CONDUCTED A SURVEY WHICH INVOLVED THE EXTERNAL INSPECTION OF SOME 55,500 PRIVATE SECTOR BUILDINGS IN THE URBAN AREAS OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON INCLUDING THE BUILT UP AREAS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE EXERCISE REVEALED THAT SOME 17,000 BUILDINGS, OR 30 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL SEEN, WERE FOUND TO BE IN A SUSPECT CONDITION REQUIRING A DETAILED INTERNAL INSPECTION.

OF THESE, IT WAS FOUND THAT 210 BUILDINGS NEEDED IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. THIS HAD RESULTED IN THE SERVING OF APPROPRIATE REPAIR ORDERS UPON THE OWNERS OF 193 BUILDINGS AND THE REMAINING 17 BUILDINGS WERE DEALT WITH BY CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION ORDERS.

OF THE REMAINING 16,700 BUILDINGS, ABOUT 5,000 INSPECTIONS HAD BEEN CONDUCTED, RESULTING IN THE SERVING OF 2,348 REPAIRS ORDER AND 97 CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION ORDERS AS AT THE END OF OCTOBER.

MR SAMSON EXPLAINED THAT THE CATEGORISATION SYSTEM OF BUILDINGS AS A RESULT OF THE SURVEY WAS INTENDED MERELY TO INDICATE THE PRIORITY OF BOO'S WORK AND NOT THE SAFETY STANDARD OF THE BUILDINGS.

THE

CATEGORISATION

IT

DID NOT MEAN THAT A DANGER HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED.

ONLY REFERRED TO BUILDINGS WHICH APPEARED FROM THE OUTSIDE TO BE IN A SUSPECT CONDITION AND THEREFORE REQUIRED FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

MR SAMSON STRESSED THAT IT WAS THE BUILDING OWNERS' INTEREST TO ENSURE THAT ANY DILAPIDATION OF THEIR BUILDINGS WAS ATTENDED ΤΟ PROMPTY, LEST IT DETERIORATED TO STRUCTURAL DANGER.

HE NOTED THAT THE BUILDINGS (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) BILL 1992, PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST MONTH, ENABLED THE BOO ΤΟ REQUIRE BUILDING OWNERS TO INVESTIGATE THEIR OWN BUILDINGS AND CARRY OUT REQUIRED MAINTENANCE THROUGH AUTHORISED PERSONS.

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