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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1983
4 000 WORKERS NEEDED TO CLEAR DOWNED NT TREES
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SOME 4 000 NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT WORKERS HAVE BEEN BUSY CLEARING THE 12 000 TREES UPROOTED OR DAMAGED LAST WEEK IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BY TYPHOON ELLEN.
MOST OF THE WORKERS LABOURED OVERTIME AND WITHOUT LEAVE SO AS TO CLEAR THE MESS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NTSD SAID.
AND MORE THAN 150 REFUSE AND JUNK COLLECTION VEHICLES WERE DEPLOYED 16 HOURS A DAY TO REMOVE THE FALLEN TREES AND DEBRIS.
MORE THAN 2 000 OF THE 12 000 TREES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND HAVE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE MAIN ROADS AND VILLAGE PATHS, SAID THE SPOKESMAN.
SINCE LAST WEEKEND, 1 000 LORRY LOADS OF FALLEN TREE TRUNKS, BRANCHES AND LEAVES AS WELL AS OTHER DEBRIS AND GARBAGE WERE CLEARED, AND DISPOSED OF AT THE CONTROLLED TIPS AT PILLAR POINT IN TUEN MUN, PLOVER COVE IN TAI PO AND JUNK BAY IN SAI KUNG.
HOWEVER, IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER WEEK OR MORE TO REMOVE THE ESTIMATED REMAINING 1 000 LORRY LOADS OF FALLEN TREES AND DEBRIS STILL LYING AT BOTH SIDES OF ROADS AND VILLAGE PATHS.
THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED TO THE PUBLIC WAS REGRETTED, THE SPOKESMAN SAID. HOWEVER, HE ADDED THAT NO MOTOR CARRIAGEWAYS WERE BEING OBSTRUCTED BY ANY FALLEN TREES.
CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL FARE FOR STUDENTS
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ABOUT 84 PER CENT OF ALL STUDENTS AGED 12 TO 25 IN HONG KONG ARE BEING SUBSIDISED BY GOVERNMENT ON THEIR DAILY TRIPS TO AND FROM SCHOOL, AND ON AVERAGE EACH STUDENT SAVES OVER $400 A YEAR.
SINCE THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S CONCESSIONARY STUDENT TRAVEL SCHEME WAS INTRODUCED IN 1981, IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY WELL RECEIVED. NO FEWER THAN 475 000 STUDENT TRAVEL CARDS WERE ISSUED TO STUDENTS FROM 372 PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 472 SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND 21 POST-SECONDARY SCHOOLS LAST YEAR.
THIS YEAR, OVER 224 000 APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED DURING THE FIRST FORTNIGHT OF THE NEW SEMESTER.
THE AMOUNT OF SUBSIDY FOR THE TWO PREVIOUS ACADEMIC YEARS AMOUNTED TO ALMOST $450 MILLION. ANOTHER $227 MILLION HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR.
/THIS $227