ONCE the shame of Hong Kong's Golden Mile with its squalid conditions and appalling safety record, Chungking Mansions is undergoing a face-lift.
Long known as a fire trap and a haven for vice and illegal immigrants, the building is undergoing a $30 million programme to make it safe.
The building's incorporated owners' committee is organising a five-year programme that will see the upgrading of fire safety, lift capacity, electricity supplies and cleanliness.
A $3 million power transformer - part one of the plan - was officially opened yesterday by the association, Yau Tsim District Officer Barton Ireland and Jimmy Lui Wing-yiu from China Light and Power.
Mr Lui said the fire risk in the building had been high, because the power supply could not match the demands of residents.
''This new transformer increases the power capacity in the building by around 50 per cent and will more than meet power demands and reduce fire risks.'' Mr Ireland believed the building's conditions had improved more in the last 12 months than in the previous 10 years and applauded the owners and tenants who have banded together to make the changes.
''The association has really done a good job in making the improvements. They are funding it themselves and really working hard on this tough, expensive job.