ON
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1977
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ILLEGAL LAND OCCUPIERS
*****
ILLEGAL OCCUPIERS OF CROWN LAND IN TSUEN WAN HAVE BEGUN TO FEEL THE +BITE OF A FORCEFUL CAMPAIGN THAT AIMS AT CLEARING UNSIGHTLY AND OBSTRUCTIVE STRUCTURES FROM UNLEASED LAND IN THE DISTRICT.
THE DRIVE HAS MADE MANY OFFENDERS REALISE THAT THE DISTRICT'S CROWN LAND CONTROL UNIT IS NOT A PAPER TIGER+ AS SOME OF THEM OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE PAST, ACCORDING TO A DISTRICT OFFICE SPOKESMAN.
THE UNIT WAS SET UP THREE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH WITHIN THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OFFICE, CHARGED WITH LAUNCHING A DRIVE TO RID THE NEW TOWN OF STRUCTURES ILLEGALLY OCCUPYING CROWN LAND.
THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE UNIT, MR. STEVE YUEN, WHO IS TSUEN WAN'S ASSISTANT DISTRICT OFFICER (LAND CONTROL), SAID TODAY! +OUR CAMPAIGN HAS PRODUCED DEFINITE RESULTS.
+ONE RESULT IS THAT WE HAVE CURBED THE GROWTH OF STRUCTURES ILLEGALLY OCCUPYING CROWN LAND IN SIDE LANES, PAVEMENTS AND OTHER AREAS IN THE TOWN.
→WE HAVE MANAGED TO CONTAIN THE PROBLEM AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO GET RID OF THE EXISTING CASES THAT ARE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION, HE SAID.
MR. YUEN SAID ANOTHER RESULT WAS THAT MORE AND MORE ILLEGAL OCCUPIERS OF CROWN LAND HAD COME TO CEASE OPERATION VOLUNTARILY AFTER THEY HAD BEEN SERVED WITH A NOTICE TELLING THEM TO MOVE.
IN RECENT MONTHS, HE SAID, ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF THEM VOLUNTARILY PULLED DOWN THEIR STRUCTURES AND MOVED BEFORE THE NOTICE EXPIRED.
PREVIOUSLY, ONLY ABOUT 30 PER CENT CHOSE TO COMPLY WITH THE NOTICE, HE ADDED.
+THE REASON IS THAT MORE AND MORE OFFENDERS HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT WE WILL TAKE FIRM ACTION IF THEY CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE NOTICE, HE SAID.
+THEY KNOW THAT THEY WILL FACE PROSECUTION UNDER THE CROWN LAND ORDINANCE WHICH CARRIES A MAXIMUM PENALTY OF A $10,000 FINE AND SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT.
/+THEY ARE
Page 10Page 11