STOP NT SLIDING
INTO
A
SLUM
(Cont.)
¡ depressed by the ever growing number of wooden shacks. The standard of housing in the New
Territories is appalling while squatter
areas like
that along the Taipo .causeway grow worse every
year.
Basically only rich, people and the indigenous villagers are allowed to build permanent houses under existing regulations. ¡ The only Government housing in the Taipo district is a cottage area at Fo Tan built out of the " -Community Relief Trust Fund and criticised at the time of its opening, with some justification, as lacking busic amenities. Government has SO far refused to face up to the housing problem in the New Territories.
Depressed
New
more
How are the Territories people supposed to earn a living? But for the providential flow of remittances from villagers working overseas, the area would be even depressed than it is now. It is I believe, impossible to build a factory legally anywhere in
New the Territories outside Tsunwan. The Lands branch in the Secretariat, renowned for its wooden and
unimaginative approach, has rejected or stified all suggestions for solving this problem.
Perhaps Government's greatest failure in recent years has been to protect the beauty of the New Territories. I believe that this beauty can be preserved, in part at least,
allowing the while inhabitants 10 live and work in decent conditions. What is needed is planning backed by money; we have had some of the former but virtually none of the latter.
The Sai Kung peninsula is even now being carved
HONG KONG
Ünce alive with fish this stream in Fanling is now so pulluted with toxic waste it is a fetid wasteland.
up for a new reservoir scheme. Will public apathy again let Government get away with similar desecration?
Of course Government has achievements it can, and does, chalk up to its credit. I am not pretending that this administration of the NT is an unbroken story of failure and neglect. But no-one taking more than a cursory interest in the NT can fail to be aware that conditions are deteriorating and that necessary improvements are being unduly delayed.
be
I am afraid that the New
Territories Administration must blamed for failing to speak out but other departments, notably the Urban Services, have failed dismally to discharge
their responsibilities in the NT.
New.
to
Even if the Territories Administration and other responsible detrimenta
managṣ. make common cause on a
in particular issue,
the Secretariat NT affairs fall into â noman's land somewhere between two major branches. Anything hardy enough to emerge from this morass is promptly despatched by the Financial Secretary.
No sure way has yet been found of bypassing this system. No Unofficial Member has a special brief for NT affairs: What was once an area of outstanding natural beauty inhabited by proud, independent people, is becoming a depressed rural slum where all forms of illegality flourish. Somebody must halt the slide.
(Continued tomorrow)
STANDARD 8th Feb.; 1971.
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