It can't wait to eliminate the dai pai dong, the street food stalls founded in 1940s, claiming they are unhygienic and cramped and that they disrupt traffic.

It plans to prevent dai pai dong licences being passed down to the next generation, which means yet another Hong Kong icon will fade into the past.

But how dirty are dai pai dongs in reality?

I have heard of very few cases of food poisoning. Perhaps the government is using propaganda to create a bad image for dai pai dongs.

The argument that dai pai dongs disrupt traffic is also questionable. It's common in Hong Kong to be approached outside the MTR or in the street by people selling phone contracts or handing out leaflets. If dai pai dongs cause inconvenience, shouldn't this practice also be banned?

I believe the government is discriminating against dai pai dongs because they are neither modern nor very commercial.

It should rather treasure this unique feature of Hong Kong and provide space for it to continue. If dai pai dongs disappeared, so would a part of our heritage, and that would be a great shame.

Kevin Kung, 15

Ying Wa College

No, I believe dai pai dongs should be a thing of the past. Although they have a long history and are valued as a tourist attraction, cleanliness and hygiene should come first.

Dai pai dongs are located in alleys and on pavements. People enjoy eating at dai pai dongs because they are convenient and cheap, but with air pollution getting worse isn't that the last place we should be sitting and eating?

Toxic pollutants and dust particles get into the food at dai pai dongs. All other food outlets, like barbecued meat shops, are not allowed to expose their products to the air, so why should dai pai dongs be allowed to?

People say we will lose part of our cultural heritage if the government refuses to issue new licences. I'm afraid that's simply not true.

The Man Yuen noodle shop in Central is a good example. It was forced to close last July because of the death of its licence holder, but the staff re-opened a proper shop in the same district, thus keeping its old customers while also finding new ones.

They still sell the same food in the new shop, plus they sell drinks and provide a more comfortable dining area for customers.

This is exactly what the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Chow Yat-ngok, has proposed - public health and hygiene can be maintained while preserving dai pai dong culture. If dai pai dongs provided tasty food in a cleaner environment, I don't think tourists would choose to sit in the street any more.