Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Henry Tang Wednesday proposed to earmark 830 million Hong Kong dollars (106.41 million US dollars) to the buildings department over five years from 2006-2007 to remove 180,000 unauthorized structures and improve the safety and external appearance of Hong Kong's old buildings.

The initiatives will not only speed up urban renewal and building maintenance but also create job opportunities for the building construction and decorating sectors and help ease the unemployment of less-educated and low-skilled workers, said Tang when presenting the 2005-2006 government budget to the Legislative Council.

The move will complement the recently approved 3 billion Hong Kong dollars for the Building Management and Maintenance Scheme that provides one-stop service to owners of old buildings to help them improve their condition. An estimated 800 buildings will benefit from the scheme annually.

To create further job opportunities, the government will provide about 11,600 temporary jobs in the public sector, involving a sum of more than 880 million Hong Kong dollars.

Editor: Olivia