Independent committee starts work as HK moves to liquefy owners' group

Scaffold net practice note

The Buildings Department issued a practice note to registered contractors on Friday, setting out a new mechanism for sampling scaffold nets in the city announced last week. The new mechanism applies to scaffold nets used in repair projects and those used in new building works as well.

The department announced on its website the first batch of designated laboratories and will continuously update the list.

The Construction Industry Council, meanwhile, is preparing for collective bulk procurement and coordinating testing services. The Hong Kong Institute of Construction San Tin Training Ground has been selected as the site for the industry to arrange off-site sampling.

The SAR government and the CIC will work towards having the first batch of scaffold nets reinstalled within a month after procurement and testing.

Accommodation support

Total 613 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the coordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, and 552 residents are staying in youth hostels and camps, as of Friday morning. Another 3,503 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the Housing Society and Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.

According to the government, there is still a supply of more than 1,000 units currently that can provide affected residents with longer-term accommodation. The transitional housing and the Housing Society projects in different districts can altogether provide around 400 units at the moment. Moreover, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.

Support fund

Donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support, had reached about HK$3.5 billion, as of Friday noon.

Combined with the HK$300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around HK$3.8 billion.

Relief supplies

An online platform established by the government for donated supplies has received about 2,000 registrations, with approximately 30 percent submitted by various organizations.

Over 29,000 donation items, covering various categories, have been distributed so far.