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You will realize that the area, shape, headroom and means of access as well as the road "sight lines" must be considered in determining how to use the land under flyovers. There is always competition for the use of any land and depending upon its locality it might be necessary to use the area for car parking or for hawkers or, in some instances, to site electricity sub-stations, pumping stations, etc.
Mr. FORSGATE mentions "recreational and amenity" purposes. Recreation usually means some sporting activity and the area, shape and available height under flyovers usually precludes most such activities. However, it is already common practice for landscaping and amenity planting to be carried out as part of the Highways Office project and paid for accordingly. Layouts are agreed with the Amenities Officers of the Urban Services Department and on completion of the works the area is taken over by the Urban Services Department for maintenance. The land under Choi Hung Road/Clearwater Bay Road Interchange is an example of one of the sites which will be formed as an amenity area in this way and both Mr. FORSGATE and this Council will, I am sure, be pleased to know that the Public Works Department and the Urban Services Department are collaborating to so develop all such areas as are considered appropriate, bearing in mind the needs of road safety and other facilities.
MR. FORSGATE:- Thank you very much for an excellent reply. No supplementaries.
(6) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:-
How much of the backlog of compassionate resettlement cases has been cleared? How many cases remain and when are they likely to be cleared?
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
At the meeting of this Council on 6th April, I informed Members that out of some 578 families awaiting compassionate resettlement, 212 had already been dealt with. Since then, the Resettlement Department has been proceeding satisfactorily with the interviews and processing and up to the 10th June a further 251 families had been dealt with. At the end of June only 115 families, comprising 548 persons, remained on the waiting list, and it is anticipated that the backlog will be finally cleared at the end of July.
There is, however, still some difficulty about the 180 single cases, since resettlement blocks only provide for family-size rooms and it is considered that all families eligible for this accommodation should be re-housed ahead of single persons for whom special arrangements will have to be made.
Members may be interested to know that out of a quota of 3,500 places in the year 1970-71 resettlement accommodation was given to a total of 2,778 persons in 610 families. During the first three months of 1971-72, out of a quota of 5,000 places, 1,236 persons in 240 families were allocated accommodation.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, can someone explain why the situation got to such a state that we had such a big backlog?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Mr. Chairman, I thought that at the April meeting I made it quite clear that there was a shortfall of output of blocks during the year 1970.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, concerning the single persons, I wonder if the department has really tried to do anything about it because I have met some of these and lepers always say they are willing to be resettled with other lepers and blind people are always willing to be resettled with other blind people. Have they not investigated this?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Mr. Chairman, at a meeting on 24th February, 1970, the committee considered two proposals. One was we should try to establish hostels along the lines of Wah Hong House in Wah Fu Estate and that we would approach the Social Welfare Department to ask some voluntary agency to undertake this. At that time the work will be difficult to get a voluntary agency to undertake the job and even if they were willing it would be difficult for them to obtain sufficient manpower to manage it. That was the point made and the matter is still being pursued and in the meantime it was agreed that these people should share rooms. The department at that time agreed that we should look at it, the backlog of the families first, and then look into these single cases and the question would be how to pair them off to make them agreeable to share rooms as the case may be appropriate. The question of arranging people agreeing to share rooms is not an easy exercise.
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