Lawmakers last night urged the government to offer more professional and financial support to homeowners and speed up the removal of about 30,000 unauthorised structures across the territory.
Democratic Party legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip said many old buildings did not have an owners' corporation to organise repair and removal works and this had slowed down the clearance.
But it would only create unnecessary panic to building owners if the government simply issued warnings without providing further support, he said.
'Many tenants and owners of old buildings are elderly people who are ignorant and do not know what to do,' he said.
'Instead of issuing warnings alone, the government should provide them with professional support, such as helping them to find the professional to do the job.'
Cyd Ho Sau-lan, of the Frontier, said that to speed up the operation the government should pay the removal costs and then charge flat owners.
Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, said more staff should be deployed to the Buildings Department to carry out inspections.
