The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (August 7) inspected the site for the new public market at Tin Shui Wai and reviewed the progress of the improvement works of Tai Wai Market. She also took the opportunity to go to the Tin Shui Wai Police Station to learn more about the damage to its facilities and visit the police officers of the district.
Accompanied by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, Mrs Lam went to a section of Tin Fuk Road outside the Tin Shui Wai MTR Station, which is the chosen site for the new Tin Shui Wai Market. The site, close to the MTR station and a public transport interchange, is convenient for local residents to buy fresh food. According to the preliminary planning, which has taken into account suggestions made by the Yuen Long District Council, at least 120 stalls including cooked food stalls will be available in the new market. The Food and Health Bureau, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Architectural Services Department have been working closely with other relevant departments to take the project forward and will continue to consult local residents.
Mrs Lam and Professor Chan also took the opportunity to visit police officers at Tin Shui Wai Police Station. She noted that part of the police station was damaged while besieged by violent protestors recently. The damage included windows on a number of floors. The Chief Executive thanked colleagues of the force for striving to enforce law and order under extremely difficult conditions.
They then went to Tai Wai Market to inspect the progress of works to install an air-conditioning system at the market. Tai Wai Market was commissioned in 1985 and the installation of the air-conditioning system has long been an improvement measure anticipated by stall operators in the market and residents. Funding was approved by the Legislative Council last year, with works commencing in early May this year. It is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2020. The Chief Executive chatted with the stall operators and thanked them for their help in enabling good works progress.
Proposed in the Chief Executive's maiden Policy Address in 2017, Tin Shui Wai Market is one of the markets to be built based on a new thinking on governance to offer wider choices of fresh provisions for residents. The 2018 Policy Address also announced that studies on site selection had been completed. In addition, it was proposed that the current-term Government would conduct a comprehensive review of the operation of existing public markets and formulate specific improvement measures for both the facilities and their management, including rolling out the Market Modernisation Programme as soon as possible to improve the environment of public markets.
"I will put forward more measures to improve people's livelihoods in the upcoming 2019 Policy Address. Public consultation on the Policy Address is underway and members of the public are welcome to give their views," Mrs Lam said.
During the visit, Mrs Lam chatted with a number of residents who expressed to her their diverse views on various social issues.
Follow this news feed: East Asia