‘No leniency’: Hong Kong minister vows tougher building safety laws after Tai Po fire
Development chief Bernadette Linn says authorities must ‘thoroughly review the existing system with a heavy hand’
Hong Kong’s development chief has vowed to tighten building safety laws to punish those exploiting loopholes, warning that authorities will show no leniency towards the construction sector that has come under public scrutiny after the deadly Tai Po fire.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also said on Saturday that the government would take over incomplete building renovations posing safety risks, following delays caused by new inspection requirements implemented after the inferno.
The catastrophic 43-hour blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which broke out on November 26, claimed at least 161 lives and left nearly 5,000 residents displaced.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier pledged to push through systemic reforms to close loopholes in construction practices, which have come under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the tragedy.
Linn told a radio programme on Saturday that authorities must “thoroughly review the existing system with a heavy hand”, warning that there would be “no leniency for the construction sector”.
She added that some unscrupulous individuals had exploited their status as property owners to infiltrate owners’ corporations and engage in illegal schemes during building maintenance.