XN000022-1980-10-29 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1980

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WONG TAI SIN DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST MEETING

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A NEW DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL FOCUS GOVERNMENT ATTENTION ON LOCAL PROBLEMS, HELD ITS FIRST MEETING IN WONG TAI SIN DISTRICT OFFICE TODAY.

+THE WONG TAI SIN DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE IS THE SECOND SET UP IN THE URBAN AREA AFTER KWUN TONG, SAID ITS CHAIRMAN, MR IAN STRACHAN, CITY DISTRICT COMMISSIONER, WONG TAI SIN.

*WE HOPE THAT BY BRINGING TOGETHER REPRESENTATIVES FROM A BROAD SPECTRUM OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, WE CAN IMPROVE OUR CO-ORDINATION AT A LOCAL LEVEL, HE SAID.

DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTED ON THE COMMITTEE ARE PUBLIC WORKS, URBAN SERVICES, HOUSING, EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND HEALTH, SOCIAL WELFARE, LABOUR, POLICE, RECREATION AND SPORT, TRANSPORT, FIRE SERVICES AND HOME AFFAIRS.

ONE OF ITS FIRST TASKS WILL BE TO REASSESS LOCAL NEEDS AND SHORTFALLS, AND RECOMMEND A DISTRICT PROGRAMME TO DEAL WITH THEM.

MR STRACHAN STATED THAT IN THIS PROCESS, THE VIEWS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS AND ORGANISATIONS WILL BE SOUGHT.

+ INITIALLY, THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE WILL SET UP THREE SUB-COMMITTEES TO DEAL WITH ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS, TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT AND COMMUNITY BUILDING. AS TIME GOES ON, AND MORE PROBLEMS ARE IDENTIFIED, WE SHALL PROBABLY NEED TO SET UP MORE SUB-COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS, MR STRACHAN SAID.

HE EMPHASIZED THAT THE COMMITTEE IS NOT JUST A TALKING-SHOP. +BESIDES BEING ABLE TO INITIATE ACTION BY DEPARTMENTS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, IT WILL BE ALLOCATED SOME GOVERNMENT FUNDS TO TACKLE LOCAL PROBLEMS AND CARRY OUT PROJECTS DIRECTLY, HE SAID.

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