XN000022-1982-12-26 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1982

LOCAL INVOLVEMENT IN VILLAGE CLEANSING

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THE PRESENT PILOT SCHEME FOR CONTRACTING OUT CLEANSING SERVICES TO LOCAL ORGANISATIONS AT FOUR VILLAGES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES LAUNCHED IN MAY HAS INITIALLY PROVED SUCCESSFUL.

FOR THIS REASON, THE SCHEME WILL BE EXTENDED FOR 14 MORE MONTHS TO ESTABLISH WHETHER IT SHOULD BE CONTINUED ON A LONGER TERM.

TO BROADEN THE BASE OF THE EXPERIMENT WHICH AIMS AT ENCOURAGING LOCAL ORGANISATIONS TO PROVIDE CLEANSING SERVICES AT THE IR OWN PLACES OF RESIDENCE, THE ARRANGEMENT WILL ALSO BE EXTENDED TO TWO OR FOUR MORE VILLAGES STARTING FROM APRIL NEXT YEAR A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

AT PRESENT THE NTSD HAS ENTERED INTO AGREEMENTS, TOTALLING $475 000, WITH LOCAL BODIES AT WANG TOI SHAN IN YUEN LONG, LUNG KWU TAN IN TUEN MUN AND TAI PO TSAI AND HANG HAU IN SAI KUNG. THE EXISTING CONTRACTS WILL EXPIRE TOWARDS THE END OF JANUARY.

UNDER THE AGREEMENTS, THE RURAL ORGANISATIONS WILL CARRY OUT THE NORMAL CLEANSING DUTIES OF THE NTSD STAFF.

THESE INCLUDE DAILY SWEEPING OF ROADS, PATHS AND PUBLIC AREAS, EMPTYING LITTER CONTAINERS, CLEANSING PUBLIC TOILETS, CLEARING RUBBISH COLLECTION POINTS AND BIN SITES.

THE RURAL BODIES ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING BEACHES, OPEN DITCHES, SURFACE CHANNELS, NULLAHS, STREAMS AND RIVERS FREE OF RUBBISH.

TO ENSURE THAT THE STANDARDS OF CLEANLINESS ARE MAINTAINED, THE VILLAGES ARE BEING INSPECTED REGULARLY BY NTSD STAFF.

AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT TEAM IS ALSO MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CONTRACTORS BY INSPECTING THE VILLAGES MONTHLY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE TEAM CONSISTS OF DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS CONCERNED AND OFFICERS OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND THE NTSD.

THE NTSD IS NOW NEGOTIATING WITH LOCAL BODIES TO EXTEND THE EXISTING AGREEMENTS ON VILLAGE CLEANSING FOR ANOTHER TWO MONTHS STARTING IN FEBRUARY.

NEW CONTRACTS FOR THE EXISTING FOUR VILLAGES AND OTHER VILLAGES TO BE SELECTED FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1983-84 WILL BE AWARDED TO LOCAL BODIES AT A LATER DATE.

THE NEW PACKAGE OF CONTRACTING OUT VILLAGE CLEANSING WILL COST ABOUT $1.1 MILLION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

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