WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1984
HE SAID PLANNING STATEMENTS WOULD BE DRAWN UP FOR THE OTHER SUB-REGIONS, NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES, NORTH-EAST NEW TERRITORIES, NORTH LANTAÓ AND JUNK BAY AND ITS SAI KUNG HINTERLAND.
STUDIES CONDUCTED BY CONSULTANTS IN BOTH THE NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES AND THE NORTH-EAST NEW TERRITORIES HAD IDENTIFIED RURAL AREAS WHICH HAD BEEN AFFECTED BY +HAPHAZARD LOW DENSITY AGRICULTURAL, RESIDENTIAL AND EVEN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS RESULTING IN POOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, MR CHAN SAID. PROPOSALS HAD BEEN MADE FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF LOCALISED DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES INVOLVING MINIMAL INVESTMENT WHICH, IF SUCCESSFUL, WOULD RESULT IN THESE AREAS BEING REHABILITATED OR UPGRADED.
IN VIEW OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF PRIVATE INTERESTS INVOLVED IN THESE AREAS AND THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN UPGRADING, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT A PILOT SCHEME SHOULD FIRST BE ATTEMPTED TO GAIN EXPERIENCE OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND TO FIND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
A PLAN FOR SUN HING TSUEN HAD BEEN DRAFTED AND A WORKING GROUP HAD BEEN SET UP, TO CO-ORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PILOT SCHEME.
++ONCE FUNDS ARE OBTAINED FOR THE PILOT SCHEME, IT IS EXPECTED TO TAKE APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO COMPLETE THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE AND ITS PART IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHEME, HE SAID.
DEALING WITH URBAN RENEWAL, MR CHAN SAID A GOOD DEAL OF EFFORT HAD BEEN PUT IN RECENT YEARS INTO STUDYING THE PROBLEMS OF URBAN RENEWAL AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. INTERESTING IDEAS HAD EMERGED AND IT WAS HOPED THAT FIRM PROPOSALS ON LAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES WOULD BE FORTHCOMING IN THE NEW YEAR.
ON THE MA WAN WATER SUPPLY PROBLEM, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT, IN ITS EFFORTS TO EXTEND TREATED WATER SUPPLIES TO VILLAGES, WAS CONCENTRATING FIRST ON THOSE WITHIN REASONABLE REACH OF THE MAINS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM BECAUSE THIS WOULD BENEFIT A GREATER NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE QUICKEST POSSIBLE TIME. MORE REMOTE VILLAGES REQUIRING THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SYSTEMS WOULD BE DEALT WITH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.
+FOR MA WAN, HOWEVER, A $17 MILLION PROJECT INVOLVING THE LAYING OF A SUBMARINE PIPELINE ACROSS RAMBLER CHANNEL AND LAND MAINS AND THE PROVISION OF A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY 1987, + HE SAID.
+ THE POSSIBILITY OF SUPPLEMENTING EXISTING SUPPLIES BY BARGING IN THE MEANTIME HAS BEEN CAREFULLY CONSIDERED. HOWEVER,
HOWEVER, THIS WOULD INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT RECURRENT COSTS AND THE LAYING OF A NEW PUMPING MAIN ALSO AT SUBSTANTIAL COST, WHICH WOULD BECOME REDUNDANT AFTER COMPLETION OF THE PERMANENT WORKS, HE SAID.
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