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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will adopt a zero tolerance policy in taking enforcement action against fixed pitch hawkers failing to observe the standardised design of hawker stalls to ensure that the operation of the hawker stalls should not pose a fire hazard.
Starting from today (December 1), the department will deploy its hawker control teams to launch a territory-wide patrol of hawker permitted places for licensed fixed pitch hawkers with officers from the Fire Services Department. These places include Jardine's Bazaar, Li Yuen Street East and Li Yuen Street West. The purpose of the inspection is to advise stall operators on fire safety measures, issue warnings and take enforcement action against violations, and to identify issues of concern for medium- and long-term attention.
This message was related to representatives of the Federation of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Hawker Associations at a meeting chaired by the Assistant Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Fan Yung-kai, this morning.
"The team will take immediate action against any infringement," Mr Fan said.
If illegal sub-letting of the hawker stalls or activities of unlicensed hawkers are found during inspection, the department will also take law enforcement action and initiate prosecutions.
"Fixed pitch hawkers must observe the approved size of their stalls. In addition, stall canopies should not be connected to nearby buildings and the stall structure should be built with fire-resistant materials. There should be legal electricity supply by power companies," he said.
"There should also be sufficient space for the passage of fire engines in order to ensure that the stalls will not obstruct fire engine access to the Hawker Permitted Places," he added.
In the long term, Mr Fan said, the department is actively considering a range of new measures to step up enforcement action including a mechanism for cancellation of hawker licences, the feasibility of requiring hawkers to set up their stalls only during trading hours, etc.
Ends/Thursday, December 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 14:35
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