XN000022-1983-10-25 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER

GROUP LOOKS OVER SHA TIN PROJECTS

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MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WORKS SUB-COMMITTEE, LED BY THEIR CHAIRMAN SIR JOHN BREMRIDGE, THIS AFTERNOON TOOK A FIRST HAND LOOK AT THE PROGRESS OF SOME OF THE MAJOR GOVERNMENT PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN SHA TIN NEW TOWN.

THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED ON THE VISIT BY THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR CHAN NAI-KEONG, THE DIRECTOR OF NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT, MR BRYAN O'RORKE AND THE DIRECTOR OF BUILDING DEVELOPMENT, MR JOSE LEI.

IN NOVEMBER EACH YEAR THE SUB-COMMITTEE HOLDS A MEETING TO REVIEW ALL PROJECTS IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, AND TO CONSIDER PROJECTS TO START IN THE COMING YEAR.

THE VISIT THIS YEAR COINCIDES WITH THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SET UP IN 1973 WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUILDING THE NEW TOWNS.

THE PARTY FIRST WENT TO A LOOKOUT POINT WHERE THEY WERE BRIEFED ON SHA TIN DEVELOPMENT IN GENERAL BY THE PROJECT MANAGER (SHA TIN), MR C.K. CHOW.

+SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME STARTED IN 1973, MORE THAN $5.2 BILLION HAS BEEN SPENT, MR CHOW SAID.

DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS, SIX PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES AND FOUR HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEMES WERE COMPLETED. IN ADDITION, OTHER PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES ARE NEARING COMPLETION,

THREE

THE PRESENT POPULATION REACHES 240 000 MORE THAN 10 TIMES OF THAT IN 1973.

ON TRANSPORTATION

THE NEW TOWN IS SERVED BY THE ELECTRIC TRAINS OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CORPORATION AND BOTH EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL BUS ROUTES.

TWENTY-SEVEN PRIMARY AND 15 SECONDARY SCHOOLS WERE BUILT.

ALSO COMPLETED WERE TWO CLINICS, FOUR ESTATE COMMUNITY

CENTRES, AND FIVE CHILDREN AND YOUTH CENTRES.

TURNING TO MA ON SHAN, MR CHOW SAID IT WAS AN EXTENSION OF SHA TIN NEW TOWN AND WOULD ULTIMATELY PROVIDE A BALANCED COMMUNITY FOR A POPULATION OF 300 000.

HE ADDED THAT CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE, CAPABLE OF HOUSING 30 000 PEOPLE WOULD BEGIN THERE EARLY NEXT YEAR.

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/THE GROUP