Last chance to have your say on fire-safety policy in New Territories

Fire-safety campaigners are urging people to take their final chance to stand up for safety in the New Territories before a watchdog's consultation ends.

The Office of the Ombudsman launched an investigation a month ago after complaints about access for emergency vehicles being blocked and fire safety equipment being removed. Owners of village houses - 700 sq ft homes male indigenous villagers in the New Territories are entitled to build - have been accused of blocking access or removing safety gear once inspections are complete.

Such homes are exempt from rules on access for emergency vehicles that are applied in urban areas, and while the Lands Department can require homeowners to provide access, enforcement is difficult because the buildings are on private land.

But the watchdog's one-month consultation on the matter, which ends tomorrow, has received just 12 submissions.

Janice Cheng Hang-fan, a retired former civil servant, is campaigning to preserve emergency access to her village of Fu Hing.

"This is lifesaving. This measure is about protecting everyone," she said. "All these indigenous villagers and developers are all greedy. You can't beat the greedy mind, and that's why you need the government, and you need the Lands Department to carry out their duties to protect emergency roads."