Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1966-1967 — Page 19

MARINE DEPARTMENT LIBRARY

28. The appeals sub-committee of the Policy Select Committee formed two panels during the year, the membership of which is shown. in Appendix 3. The panels met 14 times to discuss 19 appeals, and the Select Committees met 33 times between them. Members asked 48 questions concerning resettlement at full Urban Council meetings, and the department received letters from Councillors on behalf of over 500 members of the public. In a considerable number of cases more than one letter was received in respect of the same case, so that the number of letters received was greatly in excess of the figure quoted above.

CHAPTER 3

SQUATTER CONTROL

29. The Squatter Control sub-division of the Operations division is responsible primarily for preventing the erection of new unlawful struc- tures or extensions to tolerated structures (as defined in paragraph 31) on Crown land, leased land and the rooftops and kitchen rooftops of private residential, commercial and industrial premises within the urban area and in the Tsuen Wan district of the New Territories. It also has other subsidiary duties which are mentioned below. The District Com- missioner, New Territories, is responsible for squatter control in the New Territories outside Tsuen Wan, although, for the first time, he was assisted in this by Resettlement Officers and Assistant Resettlement Officers seconded (or about to be seconded) from the Resettlement Department for squatter control duties in Yuen Long and Tai Po districts. The establishment during the year of a Control and Enforce- ment Section in the Buildings Ordinance Office of the Public Works Department was of considerable benefit to the Squatter Control sub- division in that it enabled a clear division of responsibilities to be worked out on the control of unlawful structures on rooftops and kitchen roof- tops of private buildings.

30. For squatter control purposes, the area of the department's responsibilities is divided into four districts (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan), each of which is under the charge of a Resettlement Officer and is divided into two sections with an Assistant Resettlement Officer in charge of each. Sections are sub- divided into patrol areas which are the responsibility of Resettlement Assistants and their supporting staff of labourers and gangers. The

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