WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1981
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WORK STARTS ON MAKING SAU MAU PING SQUATTER AREAS SAFER *****
WORK IS NOW STARTING AT SAU MAU PING TO PROVIDE FIRE-BRE: AND MORE WATER FOR FIRE-FIGHTING IN SQUATTER AREAS THERE.
THIS WAS ANNOUNCED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, MR DONALD LIAO, WHO ADDED THAT THE PROGRAMME WOULD BE PROGRESSIVELY EXTENDED TO OTHER VULNERABLE AREAS.
AS A FURTHER MEASURE TO FEDUCE FIRE RISKS IN SQUATTER AREAS, 15 ELECTRIFICATION SYSTEMS HAD BEEN PROVIDED IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS AND 37 MORE WERE BEING CONSIDERED, HE SAID.
THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT'S PROGRAMME TO MAKE SQUATTER AREAS SAFER WOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY A NEW DIVISION, HEADED BY A¦ ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, WHICH WOULD GO INTO OPERATION EARLY NEXT MONTH.
TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE SQUATTER CONTROL FORCE, 315 MORE POSTS WERE PRESENTLY BEING FILLED, AND THESE WOULD TAKE ITS STRENGTH TO MORE THAN 3 000.
ABOUT HALF THE ADDITIONAL MEN WOULD BE ASSISTING THE POLICE IN
THE ARREST AND PROSECUTION OF ILLEGAL HUT-BUILDERS.
MR LIAO SAID THAT BETWEEN JANUARY AND NOVEMBER ABOUT 900 ILLEGAL HUT-BUILDERS HAD BEEN PROSECUTED COMPARED WITH 1 000 FOR SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
TURNING TO THE RECENT SPATE OF SQUATTER FIRES, MR LIAO SAID: +THE MAJORITY OF THE VICTIMS OF THESE FIRES ARE RECENT IMMIGRANTS AND, IN FAIRNESS TO LONGER-TERM RESIDENTS, WHOSE CLAIMS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING MUST BE GIVEN PRIORITY, THEY ARE ELIGIBLE ONLY FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF THE PRESENT SHORTAGE OF TEMPORARY HOUSING, PLANNING IS IN HAND TO ESTABLISH RESITE AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AS A TEMPORARY EXPEDIENT. THE IDEA IS THAT THESE SITES WILL BE FED AND SERVICED BY GOVERNMENT. AND THEN ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WILL BE ALLOCATED SPACE ON WHICH TO BUILD STRUCTURES THEMSELVES UNDER SUPERVISION, AND THE AREAS WILL BE MANAGED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.+
MR LIAO ALSO THANKED THE STAFF OF SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY CENTRES KAI FONG BUILDINGS AND OTHER PREMISES PRESSED INTO USE AS TEMPORARY SHELTERS FOR FIRE VICTIMS PARTICULARLY IN KWUN TONG.
HE ADDED. IT IS HOPED TO MINIMISE THE USE OF SUCH PREMISES IN FUTURE BY MAKING OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR TEMPORARY SHELTERS AND, CERTAINLY, IT IS OUR INTENTION TO EVACUATE THE PREMISES PRESENTLY OCCUPIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.+
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