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The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:
With the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Housing Department (HD) calls on Public Rental Housing (PRH) tenants to stop their children from burning wax, a misdeed under the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates, which allots penalty points to households. A fine of $1,500 will be imposed if the act soils public places.
ˇ§Burning wax is a hazardous act which may cause fires and severe burns. Five points will be allotted immediately under the marking scheme for littering or wax burning in public areas,ˇ¨ explained a spokesman for the HD.
ˇ§If children refuse to stop wax-boiling despite verbal warnings from our patrol staff, we will contact their parents. The household will be subject to penalty points allotment,ˇ¨ the spokesman said, stressing that children who commit the misdeed would not be getting around the marking scheme and their family's tenancy would be jeopardised. He added that a tenancy would be terminated if 16 points or more are allotted within two years.
The department will step up patrols in PRH to crack down on wax burning and littering. A fixed penalty notice of $1,500 or summons will be issued to offenders on the spot.
In addition to routine patrols by estate management staff, the department will deploy about 400 staff members of the Mobile Operations Unit and Regional Patrol Teams between September 13 and 15 (Saturday to Monday) to strengthen the patrolling of PRH estates outside office hours.
To ensure cleanliness of the public areas in PRH, cleaning contractors will be deployed in the early morning following the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The spokesman said that public education against wax burning was being enhanced through distribution of estate newsletters, display of posters at lift lobbies, promotional videos and rolling text on the Housing Channel.
A total of five fixed penalty notices of $1,500 for littering in PRH estates was issued during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year. In addition, more than 700 verbal warnings were given.
The spokesman reiterated the departmentˇ¦s zero tolerance towards littering or wax burning and its determination to keep the Mid-Autumn Festival safe in PRH.
Ends/Thursday, September 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:54
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