Tag Archives: China

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) announced that an agent of a subdivided flat in Sheung Shui, New Territories, was convicted today (February 25) of overcharging its subdivided unit (SDU) tenants for water, in contravention of regulation 47 of the Waterworks Regulations. The agent pleaded guilty to six counts of offences at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts.
      
     This is the 25th similar conviction since the first conviction in June 2022, with associated fines ranging from $1,000 to $22,000.
 
     A spokesman for the WSD said that the Waterworks (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (the amended WWO) has strengthened the power of the Water Authority in evidence collection and information disclosure during the investigation of suspected cases of overcharging for water. The Water Authority can request the landlords, their agents, etc, to provide the tenancy agreement, receipt or payment record for charges for water. Failure to comply with such a request can be an offence, and the offender is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $10,000 and a further fine of up to $1,000 for each day the offence continues. It is anticipated that there will be more prosecution cases. The maximum penalty for overcharging SDU tenants for water has been raised to $25,000 to deter this illegal act. Moreover, providing false or misleading information to the Water Authority is also an offence with a maximum penalty of a $25,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.
 
      The WSD spokesman strongly appealed to landlords to apply for the installation of separate water meters for their SDUs, which can greatly reduce the risk of contravening the amended WWO. The WSD encourages the public to report any illegal act of overcharging SDU tenants for water for follow-up and investigation by the department. The public can call the WSD Hotline 3468 4963 or WhatsApp 5665 5517 to apply for the installation of separate water meters for SDUs. The WhatsApp hotline also handles matters relating to water overcharging in SDUs. Alternatively, the public can call the WSD Customer Enquiry Hotline 2824 5000 to report water overcharge cases. After calling the hotline and choosing a language, they can press “7” for reporting to staff directly. read more

     â€‹The Transport Department (TD)’s first online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) was completed successfully yesterday (February 24). A total of 50 Ordinary VRMs were sold at the five-day auction, with total proceeds of $632,000.

     A spokesman for the TD said, “The first online auction was held via the E-Auction website (e-auction.td.gov.hk) from noon on February 20 to noon on February 24. A total of 50 Ordinary VRMs were put up for auction and were completed successfully yesterday. Operation of the E-Auction was smooth, and the functions of the platform, including real-time bid, auto-bid (during auction), and pre-set auto bid (before auction), also performed well. During the auction, bidders could participate via the Internet and place bids. The entire auction process and the subsequent payment were conducted online.”

     Among the 50 Ordinary VRMs sold with total proceeds of $632,000, the VRM “AA 681” fetched the highest price of $60,000. The auction proceeds will go to the Government Lotteries Fund for charity purposes after the deduction of expenses incurred in conducting the auction. Details of the auction results are available on the E-Auction website. 

     Successful bidders shall follow the TD’s instructions in the notification email to log into the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of the email and complete the necessary processes, including completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale) and making auction payment for the relevant VRM(s) online. They will receive another notification email around seven working days after successful payment has been confirmed for generating the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction system. 

     The VRMs allocated through the auction can be assigned only to motor vehicles registered in the name of the purchasers. The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale, arrange to assign the registration mark to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, the allocation of the mark concerned will be cancelled and arranged for reallocation in accordance with statutory provisions without prior notice to the purchaser.

     Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website for the relevant information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.

     The next online auction will be held from March 20 to 24, with details to be announced in due course. The TD will conduct a review of the e-Auction operations and gradually increase the number of auctions.  read more

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (February 25) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from March 1 to March 31, 2025, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts for dedicated LPG filling stations.

     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on March 1, 2025, would reflect the movement of the LPG international price in February 2025. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations would range from $3.76 to $4.68 per litre, amounting to an increase of $0.04 to $0.05 per litre. 

     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a pricing formula specified in the contracts. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price refers to the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on February 1 and June 1 annually according to the average movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index and the Nominal Wage Index. 

     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in March 2025 are as follows:
 

Location of Dedicated LPG Filling Station	Auto-LPG Ceiling Price in March 2025 (HK$/litre)	Auto-LPG Ceiling Price in February 2025 (HK$/litre)
Kwai On Road, Kwai Chung	3.76	3.71
Sham Mong Road, Mei Foo	3.82	3.78
Wai Lok Street, Kwun Tong	3.88	3.83
Cheung Yip Street, Kowloon Bay	3.92	3.88
Ngo Cheung Road, West Kowloon	3.93	3.89
Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po	3.99	3.94
Tak Yip Street, Yuen Long	4.10	4.05
Hang Yiu Street, Ma On Shan	4.12	4.07
Marsh Road, Wan Chai	4.13	4.08
Fung Mat Road, Sheung Wan	4.15	4.11
Yip Wong Road, Tuen Mun	4.25	4.20
Fung Yip Street, Chai Wan	4.68	4.63

     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price for each dedicated LPG filling station had been uploaded to the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hk) and posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.

     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the “What’s New” section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.
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     The Labour Department (LD) will hold a public talk entitled, “Chemical and Occupational Health”, on March 3 (Monday) at 6.30pm at the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay. The talk will elaborate on how chemicals enter the human body and their impact on health, as well as the prevention of chemical hazards.

     The LD will hold another talk entitled “Infection Control in the Workplace” on March 13 (Thursday) at 3.30pm in the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. The talk, designed for employees who may come into contact with pathogenic bacteria and viruses in their workplace, will explain how micro-organisms enter the human body and affect people’s health. The concept of infection control in the workplace will also be covered.

     Both talks will be given in Cantonese by the LD’s occupational health nurse. Admission is free but pre-registration is required. Interested parties can register online (www.oshsreg.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call 2852 4040. read more

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) will hold the "Hong Kong Slope Safety Exhibition – Proper Slope Maintenance for Worry-free Life" from tomorrow (February 26) to March 2 at The Wai in Tai Wai to … read more