XN000022-1972-07-07 — Page 1

P.A.H. 7 (REVISED

4000001

FINE DE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

DAILY

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Friday, July 7, 1972

MORE POWERS FOR CLEARING CROWN LAND

Strong powers to discourage dumping and to clear Crown land have been included in a Bill to be introduced into the Legislative Council shortly.

A Government spokesman said today that dumping on Crown land

and its illegal use for storage are a major problem. Chai Wan and

Kowloon Bay reclamations are examples of places where serious problems have

arisen.

However, under the Crown Land Bill 1972, the authorities will be empowered to serve notices requiring unlawful occupation of Crown land to cease within a specified period.

If the notice is not complied with, the authority may remove trespassers from the land and take possession of any property on it. Failure to comply with such a notice will be an offence.

The spokesman said: "This simple procedure is considered to be fair to the owners of goods, who will be given an opportunity of removing them before the Government clears the land and ownership of the goods

reverts to the Crown.

He said an important change from the existing law was that unlawful occupation of Crown land would no longer in itself be a criminal offence.

/The remedy