XN000022-1976-10-10 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1976

ILLEGAL STRUCTURE CLEAN-UP IN TSUEN WAN

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A CAMPAIGN TO CLEAR TSUEN WAN OF THE ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF CROWN LAND RANGING FROM WALL STALLS TO LARGE FACTORIES IS GIVING THE GROWING NEW TOWN AN ENVIRONMENTAL FACE-LIFT.

THE DRIVE STARTED IN EARNEST JUST OVER TWO YEARS AGO WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CROWN LAND CONTROL UNIT WITHIN THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OFFICE.

THE UNIT'S BRIEF WAS SIMPLE: TO RID THE SATELLITE TOWN OF HUNDREDS OF ILLEGAL STRUCTURES WHICH HAD NOT ONLY BECOME AN EYESORE BUT WERE CREATING INTOLERABLE OBSTRUCTIONS.

THE UNIT IN ITS SHORT EXISTENCE HAS LAUNCHED A SERIES OF PROSECUTIONS AND HAS CARRIED OUT SCORES OF CLEARANCES AND NOW HAS THE PROBLEM LARGELY UNDER CONTROL, ACCORDING TO TSUEN WAN'S ASSISTANT DISTRICT OFFICER (CONSERVATION), MR. A.D. MALIG.

+THE ILLEGAL USE OF CROWN LAND WAS ALMOST OUT OF HAND, BUT THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT IMPROVEMENT SINCE THE CROWN LAND CONTROL UNIT SWUNG INTO ACTION, MR. MALIG SAID TODAY,

+SOME SIDE LANES AND ALLEYWAYS HAD VIRTUALLY BEEN OCCUPIED' PEDESTRIANS AND VEHICULAR TRAFFIC WERE BEING OBSTRUCTED AT VARIOUS PLACES AND FACTORIES WERE SPRINGING UP OVERNIGHT ON LAND WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAD SET ASIDE FOR FUTURE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, SUCH AS THE BUILDING OF PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS.

+WE HAVEN'T SOLVED THE PROBLEM YET, BUT WE HOPE THAT WITHIN A YEAR THIS TYPE OF OFFENCE WILL BE JUST ABOUT NON-EXISTENT IN TSUEN WAN.+

SINCE THE UNIT WAS SET UP IN SEPTEMBER 1974, A TOTAL OF 345 OFFENDERS HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED AND CONVICTED UNDER THE CROWN LAND ORDINANCE FOR ILLEGALLY OCCUPYING CROWN LAND. THE ORDINANCE CARRIES A MAXIMUM PENALTY OF $10,000 FINE AND SIX MONTHS IMPRISON- MENT.

ONLY LAST MONTH IN TSUEN WAN COURT, MAGISTRATE MR. ANTHONY WANE SENT A MAN TO JAIL FOR SIX MONTHS AFTER HE HAD REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH A COURT CONDITION THAT HE CLEAR ABOUT 5,000 SQUARE FEET OF LAND HE WAS ILLEGALLY USING TO RAISE POULTRY AND PIGS.

A FEW DAYS LATER, ANOTHER MAN WAS GIVEN A SIX-MONTH JAIL TERM SUSPENDED FOR 18 MONTHS ON CONDITION THAT HE CLEAR ILLEGALLY-OCCUPIED CROWN LAND WITHIN 14 DAYS. THE MAN'S ILLEGAL STRUCTURE HAD BEEN DEMOLISHED 22 TIMES PREVIOUSLY BY THE SQUATTER CONTROL UNIT OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT BUT HAD BEEN REBUILT EVERY TIME.

/UP TO NOW,