Hong Kong ordered all buildings undergoing major repair work to immediately remove exterior scaffolding nets, as authorities investigate suspicions of forged safety certifications in connection with the city's recent deadly blaze.
All buildings currently carrying out the major repair works — covering more than 200 private projects and about 10 public ones — must take down their netting at once and complete the removal by Saturday, Hong Kong Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
-
NDTV Profit Ignite 2026: Experts See Opportunity In Equities, Stay Bullish For Long-Term -
Buy Right, Sit Tight Does Not Work for Individual Stocks, Says Dinshaw Irani -
'Worst Is Behind': Quant MF Sees Market Bottom, Flags 'Extreme Euphoria' In Midcaps -
India's Mutual Fund Industry Could Become A $1 Trillion Opportunity, Say Fund Managers -
'Foreign Investors Are Baraatis': Raamdeo Agrawal's Take On LTCG Tax -
Stay Invested Through Market Cycles: Raamdeo Agrawal at NDTV Profit Ignite -
Ramesh Damani Remains Bullish On India For Next 20-30 Years, Sees Bargains Amid Market Weakness -
CAS Came After A Long Consultation Process: SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey AT NDTV PROFIT IGNITE -
Aim To Cut FPI Onboarding Time From Mth To Five Days: SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey AT NDTV PROFI -
"I Am A Material Man In A Material World': Quantum Advisors' Ajit Dayal On NDTV Profit Ignite
An independent inspection team from the Buildings Department and the Housing Bureau collected documents and some netting samples from four housing estates and suspected that some paperwork had been falsified, Linn also said.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the police are investigating cases of suspected forged netting certificates tied to maintenance works, with documents claiming the material was certified as flame-retardant by two mainland Chinese testing centers. Police found that one of those centers hadn't issued those certificates while the other couldn't be reached. Tang said he expected more cases to emerge and to be investigated.
At least 159 people died in the city's deadliest fire in nearly eight decades. Authorities had said earlier the rapid spread of the blaze was linked to the use of the substandard scaffolding nets and foam boards.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.