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to know when it was reported and what action we took at the time. If it has not been taken, of course the Commissioner will take action. Please let us know the position.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:- Mr. Chairman, referring to the last bit of the reply, might I ask whether Mr. CHAN is replying on behalf of the police or on behalf of the Department, and how this aspect of the reports to the police had now become a matter within the purview of this Council and therefore within the Standing Instructions of Government?
MR. CHAN: Mr. Chairman, of course you know our Committee has no jurisdiction over the police, but after I became the Chairman of this Committee, they have been very co-operative. (Laughter). At least we have invited the Director of Criminal Investigation and the Chief Superintendent of Kowloon to attend our meetings, and they have sent information back to us later about the crimes in the estates. Whether they are the whole truth or nothing but the truth (Laughter) is for them to clarify, but I think on the whole the police have been working very closely with the Committee by attending these meetings with some staff of the estates, but this is what I know from my capacity having been in such contact with them.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I make allowance for the fact that my colleague is only reading out an answer which was drafted by the Department, thereby I have no more supplementaries.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:- Mr. Chairman, I am sorry, but there has not been really, with the greatest respect to my friend Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, an answer to my question which is a simple one of order.
CHAIRMAN:- You know what the answer to your question is, Mr. Lo and you know perfectly well that crime is not the responsibility of this Council. If there are reports to be made they should be made to the Police Reporting Centre.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:- Yes, this Council is now saying that no report has been made to the Reporting Centre which is probably not backed with something that took place in the Police Station. I am rather surprised that we are now given such information.
(4) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Residents in Tai Kok Tsui have complained that the rubbish collection point in Cheong Wah Street is not being cleared every day; can steps be taken to see that this is done if
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we are to eventually have a successful "Keep Hongkong City Clean Campaign"? Also, next to this public rubbish collection point is another and much larger private rubbish dump which residents find to be offensive, unsanitary and a general nuisance; can something be done about it?
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows: —
Mr. Chairman, before I answer Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's question, I want to assure him that I, myself, have asked similar questions and I have been repeatedly assured that there will be sufficient collection services.
As from the middle of last month, when additional transport was hired, all refuse and junk at the collection point in Cheong Wah Street has been cleared every day. In early September, due to frequent breakdowns of the vehicle working in this area, junk was left at this collection point overnight, but refuse was always cleared daily.
The private refuse dump referred to in the second part of the question is in fact undeveloped Crown Land occupied by ten commercial squatters trading in rags, bottles, paper-baling and building materials. The clearance of this site requires a joint operation involving C.D.O./R.D./C.L. & S.O./Police/U.S.D. There is at present a programme of clearance of 18 Crown Land black spots which will be developed for more useful purposes. After completion of this programme, clearance of the site in question will be considered, subject always to the condition that some useful purpose could be made of it afterwards. Meanwhile, the cleansing staff have arranged periodical tidying-up operations.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: - Mr. Chairman, it is said in the reply that all refuse and junk has been cleared every day. Now, could I ask for clarification whether all the refuse was cleared every day, all the refuse at that particular point was cleared every day?
DR. HUANG: Mr. Chairman, of course I can answer that, because when I visited the markets, I looked at that point and did not think it had been cleared for the last 24 hours. But the reason given to me was that the vehicle broke down.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:— All right, I accept the excuse, Mr. Chairman, but I do hope that before the end of this month we will have enough trucks to clear all the refuse at that particular point every day. The second supplementary, Mr. Chairman, has to do with paragraph 2, in
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to know when it was reported and what action we took at the time. If it has not been taken, of course the Commissioner will take action. Please let us know the position.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:-Mr. Chairman, referring to the last bit of the reply, might I ask whether Mr. CHAN is replying on behalf of the police or on behalf of the Department, and how this aspect of the reports to the police had now become a matter within the purview of this Council and therefore within the Standing Instructions of Govern- ment?
MR. CHAN: Mr. Chairman, of course you know our Committee has no jurisdiction over the police, but after I became the Chairman of this Committee, they have been very co-operative. (Laughter). At least we have invited the Director of Criminal Investigation and the Chief Superintendent of Kowloon to attend our meetings, and they have sent information back to us later about the crimes in the estates. Whether they are the whole truth or nothing but the truth (Laughter) is for them to clarify, but I think on the whole the police have been working very closely with the Committee by attending these meetings with some staff of the estates, but this is what I know from my capacity having been in such contact with them.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I make allowance for the fact that my colleague is only reading out an answer which was drafted by the Department, thereby I have no more supplementaries.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:-Mr. Chairman, I, am sorry, but there has not been really, with the greatest respect to my friend Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, an answer to my question which is a simple one of order.
CHAIRMAN:-You know what the answer to your question is, Mr. Lo and you know perfectly well that crime is not the responsibility of this Council. If there are reports to be made they should be made to the Police Reporting Centre.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:-Yes, this Council is now saying that no report has been made to the Reporting Centre which is probably not backed with something that took place in the Police Station. I am rather surprised that we are now given such information.
(4) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Residents in Tai Kok Tsui have complained that the rubbish collection point in Cheong Wah Street is not being cleared every day; can steps be taken to see that this is done if
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
193
we are to eventually have a successful "Keep Hongkong City Clean Campaign"? Also, next to this public rubbish collection point is another and much larger private rubbish dump which residents find to be offensive, unsanitary and a general nuisance; can something be done about it? DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows: —
Mr. Chairman, before I answer Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's question, I want to assure him that I, myself, have asked similar questions and I have been repeatedly assured that there will be sufficient collection services.
As from the middle of last month, when additional transport was hired, all refuse and junk at the collection point in Cheong Wah Street has been cleared every day. In early September, due to frequent breakdowns of the vehicle working in this area, junk was left at this collection point overnight, but refuse was always cleared daily.
The private refuse dump referred to in the second part of the question is in fact undeveloped Crown Land occupied by ten commercial squatters trading in rags, bottles, paper- baling and building materials. The clearance of this site requires a joint operation involving C.D.O./R.D./C.L. & S.O./Police/U.S.D. There is at present a programme of clearance of 18 Crown Land black spots which will be developed for more useful purposes. After completion of this programme, clearance of the site in question will be considered, subject always to the condition that some use- ful purpose could be made of it afterwards. Meanwhile, the cleansing staff have arranged periodical tidying-up operations.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: -Mr. Chairman, it is said in the reply that all refuse and junk has been cleared every day. Now, could I ask for clarification whether all the refuse was cleared every day, all the refuse at that particular point was cleared every day?
DR. HUANG: Mr. Chairman, of course I can answer that, because when I visited the markets, I looked at that point and did not think it had been cleared for the last 24 hours. But the reason given to me was that the vehicle broke down.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:—All right, I accept the excuse, Mr. Chairman, but I do hope that before the end of this month we will have enough trucks to clear all the refuse at that particular point every day. The second supplementary, Mr. Chairman, has to do with paragraph 2, in
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