Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor declined an invitation by rural leaders to inspect village houses in the New Territories with illegal structures which they believe should be exempt from demolition.
The Heung Yee Kuk's invitation, issued ahead of a Legislative Council meeting to discuss the issue next Tuesday, was for Lam to see how the proposed demolition of illegal structures would affect villagers. 'We hope to discuss the issue in the council meeting first,' Lam's press secretary said yesterday.
The kuk said many houses that exceed the permitted three-storey format were home to poor families. These families would become homeless if the higher floors were forcibly removed.
However, kuk leaders are under public scrutiny because they built illegal structures, such as rooftop glasshouses and fish ponds, to expand their own luxurious homes. The kuk has vowed to stage a protest at the Legislative Council building involving more than 1,000 villagers on Tuesday.
Lam said although the villagers had the right to express their views, Lau Wong-fat, chairman of the rural affairs body, had said it supported most of the government's proposals for dealing with the issue.
The government proposes dividing illegal structures into three categories - those requiring immediate removal, those for clearance later and those to be made legal according to the severity of breaches and the danger they pose to the public.