XN000022-1993-06-30 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1993

HU CLARIFIES WALLED CITY CLEARANCE ISSUES

THE

CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO OVERSEE THE CLEARANCE OF KOWLOON WALLED CITY, MR F K HU, ATTENDED A MEETING OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE (PAC) THIS (WEDNESDAY) MORNING, AND CLARIFIED THE MAJOR AREAS OF CONCERN IDENTIFIED BY THE PAC IN CONNECTION WITH CLEARANCE OF THE WALLED CITY.

THAT

AMONG THE AREAS OF CONCERN HE SPOKE ON WERE:

* THE ADOPTION OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE FIVE PER CENT SAMPLE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE BUILDINGS AND LANDS DEPARTMENT (BLD) IN MAY 1987 AS THE BASIS FOR FORMULATING THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE;

AS IT

THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE MODE FLAT SIZE, RESULTING IN AN ADDITIONAL TOTAL COST OF $119 MILLION TO THE GOVERNMENT; AND

THE PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION TO ABSENTEE-OWNERS FOR THEIR MULTIPLE FLATS AT THE SAME RATE AS THAT FOR RESIDENT-OWNERS, RESULTING IN AN ADDITIONAL TOTAL COST OF $91 MILLION TO THE GOVERNMENT.

REGARDS THE FIVE PER CENT SAMPLE SURVEY, MR HU POINTED WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE BLD TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO DRAW UP ITS COMPENSATION PROPOSALS.

OUT

THE

BUT NOT FOR EXAMPLE,

THE COMMITTEE HAD DISCUSSED THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY, THE DETAILS OF THE 413 INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES SURVEYED, WHETHER THEY WERE TOILETS, KITCHENS OR STOREROOMS.

IN MID-MAY 1987, MR HU ADDED, THE REGISTRAR GENERAL HAD RECEIVED ONLY 1,731 CLAIMS TO OWNERSHIP OUT OF A TOTAL OF OVER 8,000 STRUCTURES.

IT WOULD NOT THEREFORE HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE FOR THE BLD ESTABLISH BEYOND DOUBT TO WHICH, IF ANY, UNITS THESE TOILETS KITCHENS BELONGED.

90

ΤΟ

OR

"INDEED, IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THEY WERE OWNED SEPARATELY IN THEIR OWN RIGHT," HE NOTED.

WERK

MR HU POINTED OUT THAT MANY OF THOSE KITCHENS OR TOILETS REMOTE FROM THE PARENT UNITS. "THEY WERE NOT NEXT DOOR," HE NOTED.

"IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT OF THE 413 UNITS IN THE SURVEY, A UNIT SMALL AS 3.24 SQUARE METRES WAS COMPENSATED AS A UNIT IN ITS OWN

AS RIGHT.

COMPENSATION

"IN VIEW OF THE NEED FOR A SPEEDY DECISION ON THE PACKAGE A RE-SURVEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. WE WOULD HAVE DRAWN CONCLUSIONS BASED ON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION.

"IT WAS MOST LIKELY THAT THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE WOULD DISCARDED THE STRUCTURES WHICH WERE 'IN DOUBT' IF IT KNEW THAT WERE BEING USED AS TOILETS OR KITCHENS, HE ADDED.

++

HAVE

THEY

/REFERRING TO

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