Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1960-1961 — Page 9

CHAPTER III

SQUATTER CLEARANCE

(a) How land is cleared

14. As far as possible squatters are cleared as and when the land they are occupying is required for other purposes. The main reason for this is to prevent development from being delayed by squatters; but it has the incidental advantage that the squatters can understand why they are being cleared and this is an important factor in winning their co- operation.

15. Priority in clearance and resettlement is not therefore governed by the need of the squatters, but by whether or not their structures are on land required for development. This means that the structures which are cleared vary greatly: some are, of course, the familiar wooden shacks perched precariously on the hillsides; others are substantial buildings of stone or even reinforced concrete. Most of the more sub- stantial buildings are on leased agricultural land. Many of them are divided into cubicles and are as crowded as the wooden shacks; others may be occupied by only one or two families maintaining a reasonably high standard of living. Some structures are occupied by the persons who built them, but more often they are owned by 'Squatter Landlords', usually absentee, who may charge as much as $50 a month rent for a cubicle measuring as little as 50 square feet. The structures also vary in their use most are for habitation, but there are pigsties and other agricultural buildings and, by way of contrast, shops and workshops and even, in some areas, quite large factories. This great variety makes the clearance of a squatter area both more difficult and more interesting. Among those cleared are to be found labourers and teachers, beggars and industrialists. It is obvious that these different types of people require a different kind of approach.

16. The first step in clearing a squatter area is 'Screening'. This is done by Area Officers who visit each structure in the area and record the particulars of every person living in it on a 'Screening Form'. This task can be quite simple if the answers given are straightforward; but often the number of persons claimed to be living in a structure is obviously too large. The Area Officer must then make a detailed in- vestigation, checking the number of bedspaces in the hut and the addresses given on identity cards and visiting alternative addresses. Sometimes persons are found to be living at another address. Sometimes

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