THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1976'
PWD RACES TO FINISH #ING WAH ESTATE
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AHEAD OF TIME ****
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ARCHITECTS ARE WORKING ROUND THE CLOCK TO FINISH THE NEW HING WAH ESTATE IN CHAI WAN AHEAD OF TIME SO AS TO PROVIDE NEW HOMES FOR THE ALDRICH BAY FIRE VICTIMS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
MR. JOSEPH LEI, CHIEF ARCHITECT, PWD, SAID TODAY AN EMERGENCY BUILDING PROGRAMME HAD BEEN LAUNCHED TODAY TO COMPLETE AT LEAST
TWO OF THE SEVEN DOMÉSTIC BLOCKS WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AND HAND THEN OVER TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
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THE TWO BLOCKS, ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION BY APRIL WILL PROVIDE ABOUT 700 SELF-CONTAINED FLATS WITH INDIVIDUAL KITCHEN AND TOILET FACILITIES FOR ABOUT 3,300 PEOPLE.
AS PART OF THE EMERGENCY MEASURES, THE PWD ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE HAS APPLIED FOR PERMISSION TO CONTINUE WORK ON THE ESTATE AT NIGHT.
+THIS IS VITAL IF WE ARE GOING TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVE OF FINISHING THE TWO BLOCKS WITHIN THE 15-DAY TIME LIMIT WE HAVE SET OURSELVES,+ MR. LEJ SAID.
HE ADDED THAT THE VARIOUS ITEMS OF WORK IN THE CRASH BUILDING PROGRAMME HAD BEEN CAREFULLY WORKED OUT SO THAT DISTURBANCE TO RESIDENTS IN THE AREA WOULD BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM.
+THE WHOLE OPERATION INVOLVES A RATHER INTRICATE PROGRAMME OF 16 DIFFERENT ITEMS OF WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT IN VARIOUS SHIFTS WITH THE LESS NOISY ONES TO BE DONE AT NIGHT,+ HE SAID.
EXTRA WORKERS WERE BEING BROUGHT IN TO HELP SPEED UP THE WORK.
MR. LEI SAID THE ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE WAS CLOSELY CO-ORDINATING WITH THE WATERWORKS OFFICE AND THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY TO ENSURE THAT WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES WOULD BE AVAILABLE ONCE THE TENANTS MOVE IN
HE NOTED THAT MUCH TIME AND EFFORT HAD GONE INTO THE PLANNING OF THE CRASH PROGRAMME SINCE THE FIRE LAST SUNDAY, AND DESPITE MANY TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE TWO BLOCKS WOULD BE READY BY FEBRUARY 20.
+THIS IS A COMPLEX OPERATION WHICH WILL BRING EXTREME PRESSURE ON RESOURCES AND EVERYONE CONCERNED, PARTICULARLY THE CONTRACTOR AND THE WORKERS, BUT ALL THAT MATTERS AT THIS STAGE IS TO GET NEW HOMES READY FOR THE FIRE VICTIMS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.+
MEANWHILE, THE SITE AT HING WAH WAS A SCENE OF FRENZIED ACTIVITY TODAY AS MASONS, PAINTERS, CARPENTERS, DRAIN LAYERS AND LABOURERS RACED AGAINST TIME TO GET THE TWO BLOCKS FINISHED.
/TODAY,