Housing Department urges tenants to keep estates clean and not to burn wax during Mid-Autumn Festival
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With the approach of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Housing Department (HD) reminds tenants that burning wax in the common areas of public rental housing (PRH) estates may cause their households to be allotted penalty points without warning under the Estate Management Marking Scheme and a fine of $1,500 for littering.
“Four verbal warnings were given for littering or wax burning in the common areas of PRH estates during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year. In addition, patrol staff have issued about 550 verbal warnings in relation to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G),” an HD spokesman said today (September 18).
The spokesman reminded that parents should stop their children burning wax as it is a hazardous act which may cause fires and severe burns.
Family members of children committing the misdeed would have their tenancy jeopardised. “Although wax burning and littering caused by tenants celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival has abated in the past few years, we will continue to step up our patrolling this year. If minors refuse to stop the misdeed despite verbal warning from our patrol staff, we will turn to their parents. The household will be subject to allotment of penalty points under the Marking Scheme. The tenancy will be terminated if 16 points or more have been allotted within two years,” the spokesman stressed.
Apart from routine checks by estate offices, for three consecutive days from next Monday to Wednesday (September 20 to 22), staff from the department’s Regional Patrol Teams and Mobile Operations Unit will be deployed to patrol PRH estates beyond midnight. Additional cleaning workers will also be deployed to clean up early in the morning following the festival day.
To caution tenants against wax burning and remind them to keep the estates clean, the messages have been publicised through posters and the Housing Channel.
To minimise the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 in PRH estates, the spokesman urged tenants to maintain personal and environmental hygiene, dispose of litter properly and keep up social distancing. Tenants must comply with the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G).
The spokesman called for PRH tenants’ support by reporting any misdeeds to estate offices or the Housing Authority Hotline on 2712 2712.