XN000022-1991-10-29 — Page 30

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1991

RISING DEMAND FOR NICHES ENVISAGED

THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR BURIAL NICHES A CREMATION BECOMES MORE COMMON NOWADAYS, THE SECRETARY FOR Hok AFFAIRS, MR PETER TSAO, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

HE WAS OFFICIATING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SECOND ASH REPOSITORY AT THE CHAI WAN PERMANENT CEMETERY.

BOARD Of MANAGEMENT BEGIN CONSTRUCTION OF A PERMANENT CEMETERY WHICH

IN ADDITION TO THIS NEW REPOSITORY, THE OF THE CHINESE PERMANENT CEMETERIES WOULD COLUMBARIUM EARLY NEXT YEAR AT JUNK BAY WOULD PROVIDE 80,000 NICHES, MR TSAO ADDED.

THE SECOND REPOSITORY AT CHAI WAN WAS BUILT AT A COST OF $55.7

MILLION.

THE 12-STOREY BUILDING COMPRISES TWO LEVELS OF OSSUARY ONE LEVEL OF FAMILY NICHES AND NINE LEVELS OF ORDINARY NICHES.

NICHES,

NEW AP LEI CHAU FIRE STATION OFFICIALLY OPENED

RESIDENTS OF AP LEI CHAU WERE TODAY (TUESDAY) ASSURED THAT THEY WILL HAVE A WELL PROTECTED LIVING ENVIRONMENT ΚΙΤΗ THE OPENING OF THE AP LEI CHAU FIRE STATION.

SPEAKING AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE FIRE STATION AT AP LEI CHAU BRIDGE ROAD, THE CHIEF FIRE OFFICER PROTECTION), MR CHOW WING CHEONG, SAID THE NEW STATION WAS FIRST PLANNED IN 1977 ΤΟ REPLACE THE OLD AP LRI CHAU FIRE STATION IN SAN SHI STREET.

"AP LEI CHAU HAS UNDERGONE SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL CHANGES IN RECENT YEARS WHICH, IN TURN, INDICATED THE NEED FOR A REPLACEMENT FIRE STATION.

"TO COPE WITH ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENTS, IT TO THE STANDARD OF A SUB-DIVISIONAL STATION WITH AND EQUIPMENT TO THOSE PROVIDED IN BUILT-UP AREAS,

HAS BEEN DESIGNED SIMILIAR MANPOWER MR CHOW SAID.

HE SAID 35 YEARS AGO, AP LEI CHAU WAS BUT A PLACE WITH MOSTLY VILLAGE HOUSES AND SCATTERED SLIPWAYS.

TODAY, THE ISLAND HAD AN AREA OF ABOUT ONE SQUARE KILOMETRE AND A POPULATION OF OVER 100,000 WITH TWO PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES, HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME ESTATE AND TWO INDUSTRIAL BLOCKS.

ONE

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION INCLUDED A MAJOR RESIDENTIAL PROJECT AND A LARGE-SCALE RECLAMATION TO PROVIDE 6.5 HECTARES OF GREEN LAND FOR COMMUNITY ISES AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS.

THE NEW AP LEI CHAU FIRE STATION, BUILT AT A COST OF $11.7 MILLION, OCCUPIED AN AREA OF 1,673 SQUARE METRES AND WAS COMMISSIONED IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR. SINCE ITS COMMISSIONING THE STATION HAD ATTENDED 395 EMERGENCY CALLS.

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