XN000022-1983-10-11 — Page 10

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1983

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SIR PHILIP SEES WORK ON ID CARD SCHEME

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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SPENT THIS (TUESDAY) AFTERNOON VISITING THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT TO SEE THE PROGRESS OF THE NEW IDENTITY CARD ISSUE SCHEME.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION, MR ALAN CARTER, SIR PHILIP WENT TO CARRIAN CENTRE IN GLOUCESTER ROAD ONE OF THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT'S EIGHT IDENTITY CARD ISSUE CENTRES AND TOOK A FIRST HAND LOOK AT THE REPLACEMENT PROCESS.

THE AVERAGE TIME NOW NEEDED TO REPLACE AN OLD IDENTITY CARD IS LESS THAN 30 MINUTES.

SIR PHILIP WAS TOLD THAT THE IDENTITY CARD ISSUE SCHEME, WHICH STARTED IN MAY THIS YEAR, WAS PROGRESSING SMOOTHLY AND THAT CLOSE TO 400 000 PEOPLE HAD REPLACED THE IR OLD IDENTITY CARDS WITH NEW ONES.

BY MAY NEXT YEAR, ALL MEN UNDER THE AGE OF 35 WILL HAVE BEEN ISSUED WITH NEW IDENTITY CARDS.

IN VIEW OF THIS GOOD PROGRESS, ALL OLD IDENTITY CARDS ISSUED TO MALE RESIDENTS BORN BETWEEN 1960 AND, 1964 WILL BE DECLARED INVALID AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.

ALL THE EIGHT IDENTITY CARD ISSUE OFFICES ARE NOW GEARED UP TO DEAL WITH ANY LAST-MINUTE RUSH.

DURING THE VISIT, SIR PHILIP ALSO CHATTED WITH IMMIGRATION STAFF INVOLVED IN THE REPLACEMENT EXERCISE.

MODERN HOMES FOR 3 500 MORE AT ESTATE

聶莪蓋

A NEW BLOCK PROVIDING MODERN HOMES FOR 3 500 PEOPLE WILL RISE ON THE LOWER WONG TAI SIN ESTATE UNDER ANOTHER PHASE OF A REDEVELOPMENT SCHEME TO RELIEVE OVERCROWDING AND UPGRADE LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE OLDER ESTATE.

WORK WILL BEGIN SHORTLY UNDER A $38.6 MILLION TENDER JUST APPROVED BY THE BUILDING COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.

THE TENDER COVERS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 26-28-STOREY TWIN-H TOWER BLOCK, TWO COOKED-FOOD STALLS AND ASSOCIATED ROADS, DRAINAGE AND EXTERNAL WORKS.

+THE NEW BLOCK WILL PROVIDE 778 MODERN, SELF-CONTAINED FLATS,+ SAID A SPOKESMAN FOR THE AUTHORITY TODAY.

HE SAID THE FIRST TWO PHASES OF THE REDEVELOPMENT SCHEME HAD BEEN COMPLETED, WITH 6 000 TENANTS HAVING MOVED INTO 1 700 FLATS IN THREE NEW BLOCKS BUILT ON THE SITES OF OLD ONES.

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