Lands Department Resumes 297 Private Lots for Hung Shui Kiu Development Project

Government posts second batch of notices of land resumption for Second Phase development of Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area

The Lands Department (LandsD) today (September 19) posted the second batch of resumption notices in accordance with section 4 of the Lands Resumption Ordinance (Chapter 124) for the Second Phase development of Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (HSK/HT NDA) to resume 297 private lots with a total area of about 17.7 hectares.

The 297 private lots to be resumed this time include sites with no application under the Enhanced Conventional New Town Approach received by the deadline in end-April this year, and a site with an application not accepted for further processing due to not fulfilling land exchange criteria. The land concerned requires resumption to allow the Government to carry out works.

The above 297 private lots will revert to the Government upon the expiry of a period of three months from the date of affixing the notices (i.e. December 20, 2024). The Government will release ex-gratia land compensation to the relevant land owners after the land reversion. The Government has approached all affected households and business operators and is handling the compensation and rehousing matters at full steam.

The first batch of resumption notices involving about 176 hectares of land for the Second Phase development of HSK/HT NDA was posted on May 30 this year. The said land reverted to the Government on August 31, and is gradually being handed over to the Civil Engineering and Development Department for site formation and engineering infrastructure works.

Upon full development, the HSK/HT NDA will provide about 66700 additional housing units, capable of accommodating a population of about 184000. In addition, the industrial and commercial land in the NDA will provide about 6.4 million square metres of gross floor area, creating about 150 000 job opportunities.

CHP investigates suspected poisoning case after consumption of medicinal plant

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (September 19) investigating a suspected case of poisoning related to the consumption of soup containing Radix Fici Simplicissimae suspected to be mixed with Gelsemium elegans, and appealed to members of the public not to collect, buy or consume medicinal plants of unknown origin.

The case involves a 65-year-old male and a 60-year-old female from the same household. They developed dizziness, nausea, blurred vision and fingertip numbness around 30 to 60 minutes after consuming self-prepared soup containing Radix Fici Simplicissimae at home on September 3. They attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital on the same day and were in stable condition. Both of them have been discharged after treatment.

Urine samples of both patients, as well as the remnants of the herbal soup and the unused Radix Fici Simplicissimae, were sent for laboratory testing by the hospital. The urine sample of the female patient and the remnants of the herbal soup were found to contain gelsemine after laboratory testing.

The CHP's initial investigations revealed that the Radix Fici Simplicissimae concerned was not bought in Hong Kong. Investigations are ongoing.

"Radix Fici Simplicissimae is not toxic, but it resembles some toxic plants, such as Gelsemium elegans, and could be mixedup with these substances. Members of the public should purchase medicinal plants from licensed shops with good reputations and should not consume medicinal plants of unknown origin. If they feel unwell after taking medicinal plants, they should seek advice from healthcare professionals immediately," a spokesman for the CHP advised.