Market cleaner after warnings
I refer to Neena Aswani's letter headlined, 'Living in a rubbish dump' (South China Morning Post, September 1), concerning the cleanliness of a Provisional Urban Council (PUC) market in Yau Ma Tei and small vendors along Kimberley Road.
Cleaning services for the PUC Yau Ma Tei Market have been contracted out to a private cleaning company which is required to clean the market at least three times a day.
Also, the static cleaners stationed in the market are required to remove waste, such as plastic bags and the like, and to properly store them inside refuse bins in the waste room pending disposal.
Urban Services Department staff closely monitor the performance of the cleaning contractor and take action against any irregularities observed, so as to ensure that the market is kept clean at all times.
Last month, the contractor was issued with 19 verbal warnings for unsatisfactory performance and has accordingly taken immediate action to rectify the irregularities. Though our recent inspections have found that the condition of the market was satisfactory, we have also asked the contractor to sustain its efforts in maintaining the cleanliness of the market especially during peak business hours.
As regards the cleanliness of small vendors along Kimberley Road, we have issued five verbal warnings against the food shops there in the past three months reminding them to strictly abide by hygiene regulations.
We will continue to keep the areas concerned under close surveillance and take appropriate action whenever necessary.
We thank your reader for bringing these matters to our attention. Should your reader have further inquiries, he/she can contact Senior Health Inspector Kei Ping-tak on 2302 1539.
YEUNG KAM-WU District Environmental Health Superintendent (Yau Tsim)
