Secretary for Development visits Tai Po District (with photos)
The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Tai Po today (September 10) to learn about the district's latest developments.
Accompanied by the District Officer, Mr Poon Tai Ping, Mrs Lam visited a flood prevention project in Kau Lung Hang and the area improvement works in Lam Tsuen.
The flood prevention project was implemented by Drainage Services Department with the objective of minimising flooding hazards in Kau Lung Hang area, which is one of the two remaining major flooding blackspots in the territory.
The project comprises a drainage channel of 1,800 metres long to enhance the capacity of the drainage network in the area. All these improvement works, at a total cost of $167 million, are scheduled for completion by end-2008.
Commending the contributions of Drainage Services Department, Mrs Lam said that since 1997, the Government had committed more than $15 billion on flood prevention and these included river training projects and village flood pumping schemes in the New Territories, as well as major drainage tunnels and improvement works in urban areas.
Over the past 10 years, the areas prone to major flooding in the territory had significantly reduced from 3,000 hectares to 360 hectares. With the gradual completion of the flood control projects, the flooding problems in the territory will be greatly alleviated.
In Lam Tsuen, Mrs Lam learnt that the Tai Po District Council and Lam Tsuen Rural Committee Office had jointly implemented a tourism promotion plan to attract more visitors to the Lam Tsuen area.
The works will involve provision of parking facilities, construction of a Chinese-style garden, road improvement, and the setting up of a pottery museum in an old village school. All these works are expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
"I wish to thank the District Officers for their efforts in pioneering area-based improvement projects like this tourism promotion plan in various districts.
"Beginning from the new term of District Councils in January, 2008, the Government will set up a new dedicated capital works fund of $300 million to support greater involvement of District Councils in implementing minor works in the districts.
"We will provide full support to the District Councils and will work closely with them to further improve the living environment of our community," Mrs Lam said.
During today's tour to Tai Po, Mrs Lam also took the opportunity to visit the old Tai Po Police Station in Wan Tau Kok Lane, Tai Po.
The old Police Station is a single-storey building constructed in 1899 shortly after the British leased the New Territories. It was the first police station and Police Headquarters in the New Territories and was rated by the Antiquities Advisory Board as a Grade II historical building. The Government is now considering different options for the adaptive re-use of the building.
"Heritage preservation is one of our major missions and we will accord priority in facilitating the adaptive re-use of historic buildings for the enjoyment of the community," Mrs Lam said.
Before concluding the visit, Mrs Lam met Chairman of Tai Po District Council, Mr Cheng Chun-ping, and other District Council members to hear their views on the latest developments in the district.
Ends/Monday, September 10, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:27
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