t
18
ED
MORE THAN $3.6 MILLION PAID OUT IN CHOP YUEN TSUEN CLEARANCE
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ONLY ABOUT 10 PER CENT OF THE FAMILIES INVOLVED IN THE CLEARANCE OF CHOI YUEN TSUEN ARE OWNER OCCUPIERS, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON. DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY.
IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON, CHARLES YEUNG HE POINTED OUT THAT MORE THAN 80 PER CENT OF THE FAMILIES WERE OCCUPANTS OF UNAUTHORISED STRUCTURES ON CROWN LAND OR LEASED LAND.
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THAT 1,147 PEOPLE BELONGING TO 255 FAMILIES WILL HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM CHOI YUEN TSUEN BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. THE LAND COVERS AN AREA OF 102,000 SQUARE METRES (1.1 MILLION SQUARE FEET) AND MORE THAN 23.6 MILLION WOULD BE PAID IN COMPENSATION OR EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES.
HE SAID: +CF THE PEOPLE CLEARED, THOSE OCCUPYING STRUCTURES SURVEYED IN 1968 OR COVERED BY VALID LICENCE HAVE BEEN OFFERED PUBLIC HOUSING, THE NEAREST BEING WO CHE AT SHA TIN.
+THOSE WHOSE STRUCTURES WERE BUILT LATER AND FIRST RECORDED IN THE 1976 SURVEY HAVE BEEN OFFERED TEMPORARY PUBLIC HOUSING IN THE FANLING TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA.
+A DOMESTIC REMOVAL ALLOWANCE, MEANS-TESTED, IS PAYABLE TO BOTH CATEGORIES TO ASSIST THEM AT A RATE OF 600/800/1,000 FOR 1-2/3-5/5+ PERSON FAMILIES.+
MR. AKERS-JONES GAVE THE FOLLOWING BREAKDOWN OF COMPENSATION AND EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES:
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STATUTORY COMPENSATION:
AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE AREA HAS BEEN VALUED AT $5 PER SQUARE FOOT, BUT LANDOWNERS ACCEPTING LAND EXCHANGE ENTITLEMENT DOCUMENTS (LETTER B) HAVE HAD A VALUE OF $10 ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR AGRICULTURAL LAND, INCLUDING A $5 EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCE.
LANDOWNERS ACCEPTING CASH COMPENSATION HAD RECEIVED $17 PER SQUARE FOOT - $12 EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCE ADDED TO THE BASIC AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF 35 PER SQUARE FOOT.
EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES:
CROPS HAD BEEN ASSESSED BY AGRICULTURE AND
FISHERIES DEPARTMENT STAFF AT CURRENT MARKET VALUE WITH AN ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCE ALLOWANCE OF $1 PER SQUARE FOOT FOR LAND UNDER CULTIVATION.
PIG BREEDERS RECEIVE AN ALLOWANCE OF $11.50 PER SQUARE FOOT OF PIGSTY, SUBJECT TO A LIMIT OF $40,000 FOR PIGSTIES NOT COVERED BY A VALID LICENCE.
POULTRY
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