Bags found inside public housing building wall

Ho Iat Seng and former DSSOPT director Jaime Carion inspect the Seac Pai Van public housing estate

The public has once again raised concerns regarding the quality of public housing apartments, after a photo was published on the Internet allegedly showing paper bags that were found inside the wall of an affordable housing apartment. Chief Executive Chui Sai On said that the government will deal with the problem regarding the quality of public housing. He asked for residents to be patient and to allow the relevant departments to work on the issue.
It is alleged that the photo was taken in an affordable housing apartment in Edificio Koi Nga in Seac Pai Van. When the proprietor removed the doorframe during renovations, he allegedly found objects that resembled paper bags inserted into the gap in the wall.
The Infrastructure Development Office (GDI) released a statement yesterday, claiming that its staff inspected the building yesterday alongside officials from the Housing Bureau, the contractor and the supervising company of the construction works.
The office said that the wall in question is not the load-bearing wall (shear wall) of the building. However, the Office has already asked the contractor and the supervising company to submit a report and follow up on any possible repairs that need to be done.
“The office has not ruled out the possibility that some of its workers may not have had a sufficient understanding of the standard of the construction quality expected. As a public infrastructure department, [GDI] thinks that this kind of construction flaw is unacceptable,” the statement said.
GDI added that it will monitor the quality of public works more stringently, and will penalize contractors if they are found to be responsible for construction problems.
On the sidelines of his visit to the firecrackers, fireworks and rockets lighting area in Taipa yesterday, Chui said that the relevant departments are investigating into the issue. “We must face these problems when we see them. [But the matter] is still not clear. It is important that the departments are working on it. So everybody should be patient. Of course, we have to protect the residents according to the law,” he said.