Unauthorised structure owners to foot govt bill: CE
Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that those behind unauthorised building works near the scene of a landslide in Tai Tam will have to foot the bill for works that the government undertakes to rectify the problem.  Speaking to reporters before heading into the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said the priority right now is to inspect the slopes around Redhill Peninsula and make sure they’re safe.  The CE stressed that authorities will then move to prosecute home owners behind the unauthorised works, and follow up on those suspected of illegally occupying government land.  "These cases will be dealt with in accordance with the law, such as initiating prosecution, issuing removal order, for the structures to be demolished," he said.  "If special works are to be carried out by the government to ensure safety, we will recover costs from them." Officials earlier said that they have found illegal structures at houses number 70 and 72 of the estate, while the owner of house number 74 had finally allowed the Buildings Department to enter the place for inspection. Meanwhile, Lingnan University urban studies professor Yung Yau told RTHK's Backchat programme that authorities need to step up inspections and law enforcement to ensure building and slope safety, saying extreme weather conditions may affect Hong Kong more often.  "This episode unveils some issues regarding enforcement or even identification of this kind of unauthorised building works in low rise buildings in Hong Kong," he said.