Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1966-1967 — Page 59

offices and stores. The division's chief commitment here is the mainte- nance of paths, steps, surface water drains, terraces and hill slopes which are liable to serious damage during typhoons and heavy rainfall. It is responsible for designing and carrying out minor public works to im- prove the amenities of cottage areas, and among the works executed during the year were the reconstruction of an aqua privy at So Kon Po; surfacing of recreation grounds at Shui Ngau Ling and Tung Tau; recon- struction and repairs to 61 vacant Government-owned cottages in Ho Man Tin; the erection of guard-rails and fencing in various cottage areas; and improvements to Rennie's Mill Village (see paragraph 67). 1,071 Government-owned structures in cottage areas were repainted (12 area offices, 15 departmental quarters, 137 aqua privies, and 907 Government-owned cottages). Expenditure on all works carried out in cottage areas during the year amounted to $1,338,000. In addition, an extensive repair programme costing some $1.8 million was made neces- sary by the exceptionally heavy July rainstorms.

128. A number of voluntary agencies own buildings in cottage areas. The division is responsible for examining and approving their original building plans and any subsequent alterations, but maintenance is the responsibility of the owners.

129. The establishment of licensed areas normally involves the preparation of plane-table surveys. The division is responsible for the general layout of these areas, including levelling sites for the erection of huts, construction of paths, steps, drainage and latrines and, in con- sultation with the Water Authority, the provision of water supplies. The schemes for pumping water up to Jordan Valley, Mount Davis and Chai Wan Hill licensed areas prepared by a consultant, were completed during the year, as was the surfacing of the new access road to Mount Davis licensed area. Three buildings at the former Naval Dockyard were con- verted into a transit camp for victims of typhoons and other natural disasters, and development was carried out at various licensed areas. Works in licensed areas cost $513,500.

130. The clearance and resettlement of squatters to make way for permanent development sometimes involves the clearance of patches of cultivation. The division is responsible for preparing accurate topo- graphical surveys for ex-gratia crop compensation and disturbance allowances.

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