HONG KONG, April 4 — Concern over construction safety and regulatory oversight intensified across Hong Kong this week after government investigations revealed that fire-retardant certifications presented for scaffolding nets at two major public housing estates were allegedly fraudulent. The discovery follows the devastating February five-alarm fire in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which highlighted the potential dangers posed by non-compliant building materials.
The government confirmed that certificates used for maintenance projects at Chai Wan’s Fung Wah Estate and North Point’s Fortress Garden (Block B, Fu Kar Court), claiming the scaffolding nets were compliant with mainland fire safety standards, are now under scrutiny for suspected document forgery. This revelation has triggered immediate removals of all exterior netting at both sites and has prompted calls for rigorous, independent material inspection and financial support for affected residents.
Reporters observed demolition crews actively dismantling the remaining nets at Fung Wah Estate this morning, while the work at Fu Kar Court was reportedly complete.
Residents Demand Transparency and Financial Relief
The unfolding scandal has severely eroded public trust in contractors and the supervision of large-scale maintenance projects. Residents at the affected estates are expressing both relief over the removal of the potentially hazardous materials and deep anxiety over escalating costs and project delays.
Mr. Hui, a long-term resident of Fung Wah Estate, expressed shock, stating that before the Wang Fuk Court inferno, he “never imagined scaffolding nets could cause such a disaster.” While welcoming the removal, he sharply criticized the contractors for allegedly cutting corners and exploiting the public’s lack of technical knowledge.
“Contractors are taking advantage of us,” Mr. Hui said, demanding new legislation that would require on-site quality checks for fire-retardant materials. However, he voiced a shared concern: the cost of dismantling, re-installing, and potentially delaying the project may be passed directly to homeowners, making maintenance fees “ten times more burdensome.” Other residents, including Mr. and Mrs. Leung, whose larger units face maintenance fees as high as HK$50,000, appealed to the government for financial relief to mitigate the unexpected strain.
Calls for Stronger Government Oversight
The prevailing sentiment among residents is a demand for systemic regulatory reform. Mr. Yau, also of Fung Wah Estate, urged owner committees and incorporated owners to engage independent third parties for verifying material standards. He suggested a “zero-tolerance” approach where failure to meet standards in a single sample should result in the rejection of the entire batch of materials.
The necessity for oversight extends beyond just scaffolding. Mr. Tung, whose father lives in Fung Wah Estate, articulated the helplessness felt by many unit owners. “We are only small owners; we don’t have the money or the power to change the contractor,” he said, pleading for authorities to increase the frequency of random inspections.
The scandal has reverberated through neighboring blocks at Fortress Garden, where other towers are scheduled for major repairs. Ms. Kwan, a resident of Block C, questioned the reliability of any certification, suggesting that the owners’ committee push for mandatory material testing.
In the wake of the uproar, both estate management offices have been besieged with queries. Fortress Garden’s management issued a statement clarifying that only Fu Kar Court was involved in the specific scaffolding issue. Meanwhile, Fung Wah Estate’s management posted a public notice confirming that they have formally requested police intervention to investigate the alleged fraud.
The broader implication is clear: the government must ensure that this episode serves as a turning point, not merely a clean-up operation, by implementing centralized coordination and stringent quality assurance across all publicly funded maintenance projects to restore faith in Hong Kong’s building safety infrastructure.
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