XN000022-1985-10-22 — Page 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1985

PROGRAMME IMPROVES ENVIRONMENT FOR ISLANDERS

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AMID VARIOUS MAJOR GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ISLANDS DISTRICT, THE LOCAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME (LPW) CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMPROVING THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT OF ISLANDERS,

+FOR ALMOST SEVEN DECADES, THE PROGRAMME HAD SERVED THE COMMUNITY WELL ALTHOUGH ITS FORM HAD CHANGED SOMEWHAT WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME,+ INSPECTOR OF WORKS OF THE ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICE, MR T.K. LUI, SAID.

+ADMINISTERED BY THE ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICE, THE PROGRAMME HAS HELPED PROVIDE FOOTPATHS AND ACCESS ROADS THAT CRISS-CROSS THE ISLANDS TOWNSHIPS, NUMEROUS RAINSHELTERS AND SITTING-OUT AREAS AT VANTAGE LOCATIONS, AND WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES TO REMOTE VILLAGES, HE ADDED.

MR LUI SAID THAT THE LPW PROGRAMME HAD PROVED TO BE ONE OF GOVERNMENT'S MOST VALUABLE MEASURES TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN THE ISLANDS DISTRICT AS WELL AS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+THE PROGRAMME STARTED IN 1919 AND IN THE EARLY YEARS IT WAS PRIMARILY A SELF-HELP SCHEME BY WHICH THE GOVERNMENT SUPPLIED MATERIALS, SUCH AS CEMENT, BARS AND PIPES TO ENABLE VILLAGERS TO UNDERTAKE MINOR CONSTRUCTION WORK, HE SAID.

+AT THAT TIME THE ISLANDS DISTRICT WAS RELATIVELY SECLUSIVE AND THE EMPHASIS WAS ON THE PROVISION OF BASIC FACILITIES TO IMPROVE THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE ISLANDERS, HELPING THEM TO BECOME SELF- SUFFICIENT, HE ADDED.

THE BENEFITS DERIVED FROM THE LPW WERE NOT ONLY ENJOYED BY THE THEN DEVELOPING TOWNSHIPS LIKE MUI WO, TAI O AND CHEUNG CHAU BUT ALSO IN THE MORE REMOTE ISLANDS.

AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WAS WHEN RESIDENTS OF THE REMOTE SOKO ISLANDS STARTED TO BUILD A BREAKWATER AT THE END OF 1960 TO PROTECT FISHING BOATS OPERATING IN THE WATERS AROUND THE ISLANDS.

THE COST OF MATERIALS WAS MET FROM THE LPW VOTE, AN OUTLAY WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE TIMELY WHEN TYPHOON +AL ICE+ HIT HONG KONG THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

AT POI TOI ISLAND, RESIDENTS ARE STILL ENJOYING THE +LUXURY+ OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, MADE POSSIBLE WITH TWO DIESEL GENERATORS INSTALLED AND MAINTAINED BY THE WORKS SECTION OF THE ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICE.

MR LUI NOTED THAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LPW TO THE DISTRICT WOULD BE IRREPLACEABLE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE IN VIEW OF THE REMOTENESS OF THE ISLANDS.

+OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN THE SCOPE AND THE NATURE OF PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN, SAID MR LUI.

/+MANY WORKS