John Lee presents awards to civil service teams for WWII bomb disposal and light public housing
Thestandard · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu presented the Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance to two civil service teams on Friday, recognizing their outstanding contributions in handling a wartime bomb crisis and accelerating public housing delivery. The bomb disposal team safely evacuated nearly 2,900 residents from 18 buildings in Quarry Bay after discovering a 1,000-pound WWII bomb last September, while completing a nine-hour defusal operation. The light public housing team utilized innovative modular construction to complete projects that have shortened waiting times by over a year.
Key Points
- The Inter-departmental Team for Wartime Bomb Disposal was honored for safely defusing a 1,000-pound WWII bomb discovered at a Quarry Bay construction site amid the approaching Super Typhoon Ragasa
- Security Bureau, Hong Kong Police Force, Fire Services Department, and Home Affairs Department coordinated to evacuate nearly 2,900 residents from 18 buildings and successfully defused the bomb after a nine-hour operation
- The Light Public Housing Team, led by Housing Bureau and Architectural Services Department, used standardized designs and modular construction to build 30,000 temporary housing units
- Yau Pok Road project in Yuen Long was completed in approximately 12 months, while Choi Hing Road in Ngau Tau Kok's foundation and 18-floor superstructure took less than 18 months, setting Hong Kong construction records
- The initiative is expected to save grassroots families more than HK$7.5 billion in total rent expenses while shortening the Composite Waiting Time for subsidised rental housing by over a year
Why It Matters
The dual recognition underscores the government's commitment to swift crisis response and innovative housing solutions that directly impact citizens' lives . These achievements exemplify how interdepartmental coordination and professional dedication can overcome complex challenges while setting benchmarks for civil service excellence .
The dual recognition underscores the government's commitment to swift crisis response and innovative housing solutions that directly impact citizens' lives . These achievements exemplify how interdepartmental coordination and professional dedication can overcome complex challenges while setting benchmarks for civil service excellence .