The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Kwun Tong Town Centre (KTTC) – Main Site Development Scheme Plan (DSP).

     "The approved DSP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the implementation of the URA KTTC – Main Site Development Scheme", a spokesperson for the Town Planning Board said today (September 27).

     The development scheme area, covering an area of about 4.89 hectares, is bounded by Hong Ning Road, Kwun Tong Road, Hip Wo Street and Mut Wah Street.

     The approved DSP has incorporated amendments shown on the draft URA KTTC – Main Site DSP No. S/K14S/URA1/3, which mainly involved (i) rezoning a site to the north of Kwun Tong Road from "Comprehensive Development Area (1)" ("CDA(1)") to "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Mixed Use" for mixed use development, and (ii) rezoning a site to the south of Mut Wah Street from "CDA(1)" to "Residential (Group A)" to reflect the completed development.

     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the DSP have been amended in accordance with the latest Master Schedule of Notes to Statutory Plans and also to reflect the above amendments and the latest status and planning circumstances of the development scheme area.

     The approved URA KTTC – Main Site DSP No. S/K14S/URA1/4 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Kowloon District Planning Office and (iv) the Kwun Tong District Office.

     Copies of the approved DSP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the DSP can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     Hong Kong Customs and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have been carrying out joint enforcement operations since Monday (September 23) to inspect hairy crab retail outlets in various districts, with the aim of protecting consumer rights and upholding food safety by ensuring that the hairy crabs on sale in the market comply with relevant stipulations and requirements under the laws.
      
     During the inspections, Customs officers and officers of the Centre for Food Safety and the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the FEHD monitored the sale of hairy crabs and also checked supportive documents for the place of origin and health certificates of the hairy crabs to ensure that the hairy crabs sold at retail shops are fit for human consumption and are in compliance with the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO), the Food Safety Ordinance and the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
      
     As of now, officers of the two departments have inspected 42 hairy crab retail shops, and no irregularity has been found. The relevant joint enforcement operations will continue.
      
     Apart from carrying out inspections in the market, Customs officers also made use of the big-data analytics system to conduct analysis and verify whether online shops selling hairy crabs had complied with the TDO with a view to safeguarding the interests of consumers when making online purchases. 
      
     Customs attaches great importance to the protection of consumer rights and will take appropriate enforcement action once activities in violation of the TDO are detected in the market. The department also reminds traders not to apply a false trade description to goods or services, or to supply or offer to supply goods or services to which a false trade description is applied. Those who violate the TDO are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
      
     The FEHD reminds traders that according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, all food available for sale in Hong Kong, whether imported or locally produced, should be fit for human consumption. Also, any person who operates an unlicensed food business or sells restricted foods without permission is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. Under the Food Safety Ordinance, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the record-keeping requirement relating to movement of food commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.
      
     Customs and the FEHD remind traders not to import or put on sale hairy crabs with an unknown origin. Consumers should make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/) if they suspect that hairy crabs bought are of falsely claimed place of origin.
      
     In addition, if members of the public suspect that there are operators selling hairy crabs without the relevant permits/permissions or the hairy crabs are not accompanied with health certificates, they may file a report to the FEHD by calling hotline at 2868 0000 or through email (enquiries@fehd.gov.hk).

  

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, September 27, 2024 is 102.7 (down 0.2 against yesterday's index).

    Police will implement special traffic arrangements to facilitate the holding of the National Day Flag Raising Ceremony on October 1 (Tuesday) in Wan Chai North, Central and Tin Hau.

A. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed, except for authorised vehicles:

(I) From 00.01am on September 30 to 1pm on October 1:

– Expo Drive;
– Expo Drive Central;
– Expo Drive East;
– The slip road leading from Central – Wan Chai Bypass to Expo Drive; and
– Eastbound Lung Wo Road between the Wan Chai portal of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Fleming Road.

(II) From 5.30am to 1pm on October 1:

– Westbound Lung Wo Road between the Wan Chai portal of Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Fleming Road;
– Lung Tat Path; and
– Westbound Lung Wo Road between Lung Hop Street and Fleming Road.

(III) From 6am to 8am on October 1:

     Lung Wo Road between Edinburgh Place and Tim Wa Avenue.

(IV) From 6.45am to 7.15 am on October 1:

– Tung Lo Wan Road between Causeway Road and Lin Fa Kung Street West; and
– Lai Yin Lane.

B. Traffic diversions

     In connection with the road closure as mentioned above, the following traffic diversions will be implemented:

(I) From 00.01am on September 30 to 1pm on October 1:

– Traffic along eastbound Lung Wo Road heading for Fleming Road and Hung Hing Road must turn right to southbound Lung Hop Street or enter eastbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass via eastbound Lung Wo Road for Island Eastern Corridor;
– Traffic turning right from northbound Lung Hop Street can only enter eastbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass via eastbound Lung Wo Road; and
– Traffic from Central heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via Man Po Street, eastbound Yiu Sing Street and eastbound Lung Wo Road.

(II) From 5.30am to 1pm on October 1:

     Traffic along westbound Hung Hing Road heading for westbound Lung Wo Road must turn left to southbound Fleming Road, via northbound Fleming Road, westbound Harbour Road, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street and northbound Lung Hop Street.

(III) From 6am to 8am on October 1:

– Traffic along eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted to southbound Edinburgh Place;
– Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted to southbound Tim Wa Avenue;
– Traffic along eastbound Harcourt Road cannot enter Tim Wa Avenue; and
– Traffic along eastbound Tim Wa Avenue cannot make a U-turn to northbound Tim Wa Avenue.

(IV) From 6.45am to 7.15 am on October 1:

     Traffic along westbound King’s road will be diverted to westbound Causeway Road.

C. Suspension of parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas

     The metered parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas at Expo Drive, and the on-street parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas at Expo Drive East will be suspended from 00.01am on September 30 to 1pm on October 1.

     All metered, motorcycle and disabled parking spaces on Tung Lo Wan Road between Causeway Road and Lin Fa Kung Street West will be suspended from 10pm on September 30 to 7.30am on October 1.

     All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.  

     Actual implementation of traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on September 26 to noon today (September 27), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 228 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 87 733 samples of food imported from Japan (including 56 022 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 19 906 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.