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Five construction companies were fined a total of $25,000 for mosquito breeding in their construction sites at the Fanling Magistracy last Friday (January 10).

Details of the cases are as follows:

  Name of defendant           Date of offence   Amount of fine

  -----------------          -------------      -------------

  Chun Wo Building                30-9-2002         $8,000

  Construction Ltd

  (construction site at

  Tin Shui Wai Area 108B,

  Yuen Long)

  China State Construction       23-9-2002        $8,000

  Engineering (Hong Kong)

  Ltd

  (construction site at

  Tin Shui Wai, TL2, Area 13

  Yuen Long)

  Hong Kong Construction         26-8-2002          $5,000

  Company Ltd

  (construction site at

  FSSTL 195, 9 Wo Mun Street,

  Fanling)

  Hip Hing Construction          14-8-2002           $3,000

  Company Ltd

  (construction site at

  DD122, Lot 1747, Tong

  Yan San Tsuen, New Ping

  Shan, Yuen Long)

  Prudence Construction          26-7-2002           $1,000

  Company Ltd

  (construction site at

  Section 17 of Lot 4433

  in DD51, On Lok Tsuen,

  Fanling)

The prosecutions were carried out by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) during routine inspections.

A spokesman for FEHD said the department would conduct regular inspections to construction sites to prevent the outbreak of dengue fever. Prosecution will be taken out against site management at once for mosquito breeding.

Under Section 27(3) of Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, an appointed contractor of a construction site shall be guilty of an offence if larvae or pupae of mosquitoes are found in any accumulation of water in the site. The maximum fine under this law is $25,000 with a daily fine of $450.

The spokesman called on the public to report mosquito problems through the department's hotline 2868 0000.

End/Monday, January 13, 2003

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