XN000022-1992-11-11 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1992

MR EASON SAID THERE WERE NO RECORDS WHICH SHOWED SPECIFICALLY THAT STRUCTURALLY UNSAFE BUILDINGS HAD BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE LAND

DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

HOWEVER,

15 BUILDINGS HAD BEEN CLOSED AND WERE BEING DEMOLISHED OR WERE AWAITING DEMOLITION IN AREAS TO BE REDEVELOPED BY THE CORPORATION,

MR EASON NOTED THAT THE MAINTENANCE OF THOSE WITHIN AREAS DESIGNATED FOR URBAN RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OWNERS.

BUILDINGS, INCLUDING RENEWAL, WAS THE

PRE-WAR BUILDINGS IN THE URBAN AREA WERE INSPECTED BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE STAFF PERIODICALLY, HE ADDED.

BY

OF

THEY ALSO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CONDITION BUILDINGS AND TAKE ACTION ΤΟ SECURE THEIR REPAIR, CLOSURE OR DEMOLITION UNDER SECTIONS 26 AND 27 OF THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE IF THEY ARE FOUND TO BE STRUCTURALLY UNSAFE, HE SAID.

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VULNERABLE SQUATTERS TO GO BY WET SEASON

* * * * *

ALL OF THE ABOUT 6,000 NEW TERRITORIES SQUATTERS FOUND BY THE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING OFFICE ΤΟ BR ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO LANDSLIPS DURING HEAVY RAIN WILL BE CLEARED BY THE NEXT WET SEASON, THE SECRETARY FOR PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND

MR TONY EASON, SAID.

LANDS,

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR EASON SAID ABOUT 5,000 OF THESE HAD BEEN CLEARED TO DATE.

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SQUATTERS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES ARE CLEARED EITHER WHEN THE LAND IS REQUIRED FOR PUBLIC WORKS OR ON SAFETY GROUNDS WHEN RECOMMENDED BY THE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING OFFICE.

THE OFFICE IS CARRYING OUT A RE-INSPECTION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES SQUATTER AREAS PREVIOUSLY COVERED BY THE STUDIES BETWEEN 1988 AND 1991, HE SAID.

"THIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 1993 AND ADDITIONAL AREAS WILL BE INSPECTED THEREAFTER.

'FURTHER CLEARANCES ON SAFETY GROUNDS ARE LIKELY ΤΟ FOLLOW," MR BASON SAID.

AS AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, THERE WERE ABOUT 414,000 SQUATTER STRUCTURES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, OF WHICH SOME 88,000 WERE USED FOR DWELLING PURPOSES, HOUSING ABOUT 228,000 PEOPLE.

THE NUMBER OF SQUATTER STRUCTURES FOR DOMESTIC USE ON STEEP SLOPES IS AROUND 16,000.

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