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Hong Kong protests: government spent more than HK$66 million to repair damaged public facilities
- Authorities have spent HK$8 million to repair pavements, HK$15 million to restore metal railings and HK$1.6 million to replace security cameras
- Repairing 740 sets of traffic lights alone has cost HK$40 million
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More than HK$66 million (US$8.5 million) has been spent to repair public facilities damaged during Hong Kong’s anti-government protests in the past year, including bricks removed from pavements that could cover an area larger than three soccer pitches, the government has said.
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But repairing 740 sets of traffic lights – that were burnt, smashed and blackened – was the costliest affair, at HK$40 million.
In a reply to pro-establishment lawmaker Gary Chan Hak-kan on Wednesday, the government revealed that some 22,000 square metres worth of bricks were removed from footpaths since June last year.
“The Highways Department has rectified the damage. It has been exploring various options for enhancing the design for footpath paving,” the government said, adding HK$8 million was spent on relevant repairs.
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To prevent bricks from being removed, government workers have lately been glueing them down.
But an intense rainstorm last Monday upheaved chunks of bricks in some areas.
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