Property owner fined over $50,000 for persistently not complying with removal order
A property owner was convicted and fined $53,700 in total, of which $23,700 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts last Friday (August 28) for persistently failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
The Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts, the Tuen Mun Law Courts Building
The case involved an unauthorised structure with an area of about 84 square metres on the rooftop of a composite building on King's Road, North Point. As the unauthorised building work (UBW) was carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner had been prosecuted by the BD twice and was fined upon convictions by the court. As the owner persisted in not complying with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted for the third time.
A spokesman for the BD said today (August 31), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take stringent enforcement action and instigate prosecutions against owners again if they persist in not complying with removal orders to ensure building and public safety."
Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.
Source: AI-found images
TD reminds students to allow more journey time on first school day
The Transport Department (TD) today (August 31) urged students to allow more commute time on the first school day tomorrow (September 1) to avoid being late, as overall traffic is anticipated to be busier. Motorists should avoid driving to the vicinity of schools.
The Transport Department, Photo by Bastille Post
A spokesman for the TD said, "Students should familiarise themselves early with public transport routes to and from their schools and the service frequencies, especially those attending a new school. Those taking ferries should further check their vessel types and journey times. Students should take heed of road safety on their journeys, properly use crossing facilities to cross the road, and not use a mobile phone or earphones, play mobile games, eat or drink when crossing the road."
Major public transport operators (PTOs), including railways, franchised buses, ferries and taxis, have been reminded to provide adequate services, and enhance and deploy standby services and manpower when necessary to meet passenger demand. Local franchised bus operators providing services to land boundary control points (BCPs) and cross-boundary coach operators have been reminded to maintain sufficient services for cross-boundary students. Special routes serving school areas will also be resumed.
The operation of the TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will be escalated to the highest tier, the Joint Steering Mode, tomorrow morning to jointly and closely monitor real-time traffic and public transport services on the first school day in collaboration with the Police and major PTOs. Staff will be deployed at major public transport interchanges, stations, school areas, land BCPs and tunnels across the city for on-site monitoring and, where necessary, service enhancement and implementation of traffic management measures accordingly.
Members of the public are advised to heed the latest traffic news through the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app and radio and television broadcasts, or the service details from the PTOs:
Public transport operator
Hotline
Website
MTR
2881 8888
www.mtr.com.hk
Citybus
2136 8888
www.citybus.com.hk
Kowloon Motor Bus
2745 4466
www.kmb.hk
Long Win Bus
2261 2791
www.kmb.hk
New Lantao Bus
2984 9848
www.nlb.com.hk
Sun Ferry
2131 8181
www.sunferry.com.hk
Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry
2815 6063
hkkf.com.hk
Photo by Bastille Post
