XN000022-1985-04-09 — Page 11

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1985

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URBCO MEETS UNDER A NEW FORMAT ******

ONLY A FEW WORKING DAYS AFTER BECOMING THE DIRECTOR OF URBAN SERVICES, MR AUGUSTINE CHUT KAM THIS AFTERNOON FOUND HIMSELF IN CENTRE-STAGE AT THE URBAN COUNCIL'S MONTHLY OPEN MEETING.

THE COUNCIL WAS MEETING UNDER A NEW FORMAT. AND WENT INTO COMMITTEE TO DEAL WITH FOUR IMPORTANT ITEMS NORMALLY DEALT WITH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AT THE REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE,

MR CHUI JOINED THE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN MR HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, ON THE ROSTRUM -- AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY FOUND HIMSELF BEING ASKED A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ITEMS UNDER DISCUSSION.

THE QUESTIONS COVERED SUCH POINTS AS THE NECESSITY FOR EXPENSIVE WORK ON UNDERGROUND DUCTS AT LEI CHENG UK SWIMMING POOL (TO EN ABLE MODERN MAINTENANCE METHODS TO BE USED IN THEIR OVERHAUL) WHETHER IT WOULD BE CHEAPER FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONTRACT OUT ITS OWN MAINTENANCE WORK RATHER THAN GOING THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT (ON PAST EXPERIENCE, NO, BUT IT WOULD BE CLOSELY RE-EXAMINED) WHY A BEACH BUILDING AT STANLEY MAIN BEACH WAS TO BE DEMOLISHED AND REBUILT (IT IS USED EXTENSIVELY, AND HAS BEGUN TO DETERIORATE AND CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD) WHY THE COUNCIL SHOULD PAY HAWKERS' WATER BILLS AT A TEMPORARY MARKET IN CHAI WAN (THE HAWKERS WERE TO HAVE BEEN MOVED LATE LAST YEAR TO A PERMANENT MARKET, BUT THIS HAS BEEN DELAYED IN THE MEANTIME THE COUNCIL MUST HONOUR ITS PROMISE TO PAY THE WATER BILLS) WHY ARE SOME PROJECTS DELAYED (BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS WITH CONTRACTORS, WHO THEMSELVES SOMETIMES HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE WEATHER) WHY THE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT LIAISE WITH THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT ON ROADSIDE BEAUTIFICATION PLANS (1T ALREADY DOES SO NEVERTHELESS A CRITICAL REVIEW IS NOW IN TRAIN).

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NOT SURPRISINGLY, MR CHUI WAS WARMLY THANKED BY MR CHEONG-LEEN FOR HIS FRANK AND INFORMATIVE ANSWERS AFTER THE FOUR PAPERS HAD BEEN THOROUGHLY DISCUSSED AND ULTIMATELY AGREED BY THE MEETING.

DURING HIS QUESTION-AND-ANSWER +GRILLING,+ MR CHUI MADE THE POINT SEVERAL TIMES THAT IN EVERYTHING IT DID, THE DEPARTMENT WAS HIGHLY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO PLACE EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY FIRST, WHILE GETTING ON WITH THE JOB OF PROVIDING DAY-TO-DAY SERVICES TO THE PEOPLE OF URBAN HONG KONG,

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