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About 43,700 new niches (including 330 large niches) at the newly constructed Wo Hop Shek Kiu Tau Road Columbarium and some 1,500 new standard niches at Diamond Hill Columbarium provided by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will be open for allocation in three phases starting from next Monday (September 3).
The standard niches (to hold a maximum of two urns) and large niches (to hold a maximum of four urns) to be allocated in each phase are located in different sections including indoor, outdoor, smoke-free and non-smoke-free areas on different floors.
An FEHD spokesman said today (August 28) that to encourage people to adopt environmentally friendly ways, like offering flowers, to pay tribute to those who have passed away, every new niche is furnished with a flower receptacle. In addition, furnaces for burning joss paper are installed only on the ground floor of Wo Hop Shek Kiu Tau Road Columbarium to maintain good air quality at each floor.
The new niches available for allocation in the first phase total 10,742. Among them, 10,182 are situated in Wo Hop Shek Kiu Tau Road Columbarium Phase V and 560 are in Diamond Hill Columbarium.
The current fees for a standard niche and placing a memorial plaque at Diamond Hill Columbarium are $2,800 and $90 respectively. For Wo Hop Shek Kiu Tau Road Columbarium Phase V, the current fees for a large niche, a standard niche and placing a memorial plaque are $4,000, $3,000 and $295 respectively. The fee for placing each additional urn in an allocated niche is $140.
Applications in the first phase of allocation will be accepted between next Monday (September 3) and October 3.
The spokesman said that an online application service will be provided for the first time to assist the public. Those who are holding the "Permit to Take Away Cremated Ashes" or the "Certificate of Cremation" of the deceased can fill in the e-form for online submission (website: www.fehd.gov.hk).
An open computer ballot will be held on November 8 (Thursday) to determine eligible applicants' selection priority. A letter will be sent to the successful applicants according to their priority numbers to invite them to go to the FEHD's Kowloon Cemeteries and Crematoria (C&C) Office at the designated time and date for selecting niches.
The ballot results will be posted at the FEHD's Hong Kong C&C Office and Kowloon C&C Office and uploaded to the department's website.
Successful applicants will also be notified of the results by SMS or email. Applicants may call 2304 8906 for enquiries about the ballot results.
"All unsuccessful applications in phases one and two will automatically enter subsequent phases of allocation for computer balloting if applicants have indicated their agreement on the application forms and no fresh applications will be required. Niches which are left unallocated after the first two phases of allocation will be pooled for the last round of allocation, i.e. the third phase," the spokesman said.
Furthermore, applications for large niches and standard niches will be handled separately. Form A should be used for applying for large niches while Form B is for standard niches.
The application form can be obtained in person from the FEHD's Hong Kong C&C Office or Kowloon C&C Office, by fax or by downloading it from the website (www.fehd.gov.hk).
An applicant must submit the duly completed application form together with the original or copy of the necessary documents (depending on the circumstances) within the application period.
Other than submitting online, submission can also be made by putting the application forms into the drop-in boxes at the FEHD's Hong Kong C&C Office or Kowloon C&C Office during office hours, or by fax, email or post. Late applications will not be accepted.
The spokesman said, "The FEHD will continue to adopt open computer balloting as in the past for allocating the new niches in the above two columbaria. Advice of the Independent Commission Against Corruption has been sought to ensure that the allocation procedures are fair and just."
The same method was adopted in the allocation of 18,501 new niches in Diamond Hill Columbarium in 2009 and all applicants were invited for niche selection.
Information of the FEHD's C&C Offices is as follows:
Hong Kong C&C Office
Address: 1J, Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Tel No: 2570 4318
Fax No: 2591 1879
Kowloon C&C Office
Address: Upper Ground Floor, 6 Cheong Hang Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon
Tel No: 2365 5321
Fax No: 2176 4963
Enquiries:
Enquiry hotline: 2304 8906
Enquiry email: enquiry_newniche@fehd.gov.hk
Website: www.fehd.gov.hk
Ends/Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:48
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