XN000022-1981-11-11 — Page 19

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1981

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ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL HUT-BUILDERS

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SIXTY THOUSAND ILLEGAL SQUATTER STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED BY THE SQUATTER CONTROL FORCE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS BUT AN ESTIMATED 20 000 OTHER DOMESTIC STRUCTURES HAVE HAD TO BE TOLERATED IN THE SAME PERIOD IN URBAN AREAS NOT NEEDED FOR PERMANENT DEVELOPMENT, PARTICULARLY IN EAST KOWLOON.

THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, MR DONALD LIAO, SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HAD ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR SQUATTER CONTROL THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY AND THAT FIRST PRIORITY WOULD BE GIVEN TO REGAINING CONTROL AGAINST ILLEGAL HUT-BUILDERS PARTICULARLY RACKETEERS EXPLOITING OTHERS' MISFORTUNES.

+MEASURES TO INCREASE THE PENALTIES FOR THOSE WHO BUILD HUTS FOR SALE ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED, HE SAID.

MR LIAO SAID THAT DESPITE THE VERY LARGE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME, MANY SQUATTER CONCENTRATIONS WOULD REMAIN FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE AND IMPROVED BASIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE MORE PERMANENT OF THESE AREAS IN ADDITION TO WHAT HAD BEEN SUPPLIED TO THEM IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING MINOR PUBLIC WORKS AND THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND ELECTRICITY.

+A NEW ORGANISAT ION IS TO BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO CARRY OUT THIS WORK, HE SAID.

+THE FIRST STEP MUST BE TO UPGRADE THE SAFETY MEASURES IN THESE AREAS AGAINST FIRE AND LANDSLIP. THIS WILL BE DONE BY IMPROVING ACCESS AND WATER SUPPLY FOR FIRE FIGHTING, PROVIDING FIRE BREAKS AND UNDERTAKING ESSENTIAL SLOPE STABILITY WORKS.

+OTHER IMPROVEMENTS WILL FOLLOW, BUT I SHOULD CAUTION AGAINST EXPECTING TOO MUCH TOO SOON BECAUSE THE SQUATTER AREAS ARE SCATTERED AND, THEREFORE, THESE EFFORTS WILL BE FRAGMENTED.+ HE ALSO CAUTIONED THAT THERE WERE VALID ENGINEERING CONSTRAINTS ON MOST SITES WHICH WOULD INVOLVE TECHNICALLY-DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE WORK PROGRAMMES.

+NEVERTHELESS, A NUMBER OF PILOT SCHEMES HAVE ALREADY BEEN WORKED OUT AND WILL BE IMPLEMENTED SHORTLY, HE SAID.

ON OTHER PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOME OWNERSHIP POINTS RAISED BY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, MR LIAO SAID:

PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME AND MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSING

IT IS INTENDED THAT THE PRICES OF FLATS BUILT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME AND THE MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSING PROGRAMME WILL, AS WITH THE MAIN HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, EXCLUDE THE FULL MARKET VALUE OF THE LAND ON WHICH THEY ARE BUILT.

SUS RE-SALE