What measures are being taken by the government to combat unauthorized building works?
To tackle the problem of unauthorized building works (UBWs), the Building Department continued to embark on 'blitz' clearance operations. The modus operandi of demolishing in one exercise all exteral UBWs on a number of buildings in a district has proved effective in inducing building owners to comply voluntarily with removal orders. A total of 1,759 buildings were targeted for 'blitz' clearances in 2002, compared with 1,571 in 2001 and 404 in 2000. Enforcement action against illegal rooftop structures on single staircase buildings that posed a serious fire hazard continued to gather momentum. A total of 632 buildings were targeted in 2002 for removal of illegal structures, compared with 95,220 and 402 in 1999, 2000 and 2001, respectively.
In support of the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, the Buildings Department is conducting a three-year program to clear unauthorized structures in back lanes. Some 30 and 66 back lanes were targeted in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and a total of 995 unauthorized building structures causing obstruction were removed.
During the year, 15,555 reports on UBWs were processed, and 54,010 removal orders issued, resulting in 37,923 UBWs being removed. A total of 467 prosecutions were instituted against offenders for erecting UBWs or failing to comply with removal orders. These resulted in 390 convictions were fines totaling $1,513,410.
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