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SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 1994

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IN LATE 1993, A SCHEME WAS INTRODUCED UNDER WHICH TAXI DRIVERS ARE ALLOWED TO PICK UP OR SET DOWN DISABLED PASSENGERS IN RESTRICTED ZONES WITH THE PRODUCTION OF A CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT BY THE DISABLED PASSENGER.

ALSO IN LATE 1993, THE WORKING

TRANSPORT

GROUP PUBLISHED A BOOKLET CALLED "A GUIDE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES IN HONG KONG FOR DISABLED PERSONS" SETTING OUT IN A CLEAR AND CONCISE WAY THE TRANSPORT FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO DISABLED PERSONS.

EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RAHABUS SERVICE WILL ALSO BE

PUT IN PLACE NEXT YEAR.

MR HUI SAID IN ACHIEVING THE RESULTS ATTAINED, BOTH THE DISABLED GROUPS AND THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS HAD ADOPTED A POSITIVE AND PRAGMATIC APPROACH IN IMPLEMENTING PRACTICABLE IMPROVEMENTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, GIVEN THE MANY CONSTRAINTS THAT WERE ALMOST UNIQUE TO THE TRANSPORT SCENE IN HONG KONG.

"THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE FULL SUPPORT ΤΟ FURTHER IMPROVE THE ACCESS OF OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM то THE DISABLED PERSONS. THROUGH THE CONCERTED EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS AND THE DISABLED COMMUNITY, I AM CONFIDENT THAT OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE ΤΟ BE MORE AND MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND ACCESSIBLE TO DISABLED TRAVELLERS," HE SAID.

61 NEW BUILDING PLANS APPROVED

* * *

DEPARTMENT APPROVED 61 NEW BUILDING PLANS IN

THE BUILDINGS JANUARY THIS YEAR.

OF THESE, 20 ARE FOR HONG KONG ISLAND, NINE FOR KOWLOON AND 32 FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE APPROVED PLANS INCLUDE 18 FOR APARTMENT APARTMENT/COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS, 13 FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS 11 FOR FACTORY AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS.

AND

AND

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DURING THAT MONTH, CONSENT WAS GIVEN FOR WORK TO START ON BUILDING PROJECTS, WHICH INVOLVE 88.718 SQUARE METRES OF USABLE DOMESTIC FLOOR AREA AND 96.543 SQUARE METRES OF USABLE NON-DOMESTIC FLOOR AREA. THE DECLARED COST OF NEW BUILDINGS COMPLETED TOTALLED ABOUT $2.411 MILLION.

OF THE BUILDINGS CERTIFIED FOR OCCUPATION IN THAT MONTH, USABLE FLOOR AREAS FOR DOMESTIC AND NON-DOMESTIC USE ARE 186,284 SQUARE METRES AND 109,463 SQUARE METRES RESPECTIVELY.

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IN JANUARY. THE DEPARTMENT ISSUED 41 OCCUPATION PERMITS FOR HONG KONG ISLAND, NINE FOR KOWLOON AND 18 FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES.

IN ADDITION, 28 DEMOLITION CONSENTS INVOLVING 61 BUILDINGS WERE

ISSUED.

/THE BUILDINGS

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