This is an almost continuous process, for the clearance programme must be flexible and clearance dates are often changed due to such un- predictable factors as a sudden demand for resettlement accommodation, perhaps as the result of a natural disaster occurring in a cottage area, or the urgent need to clear land for a public purpose, or owing to un- foreseen delays in completing the construction of particular resettlement blocks.
49. The first step in clearing a squatter area is the survey and tabula- tion of huts. In order to ensure that only genuine residents are given resettlement, it is necessary to discourage the influx of interlopers (known in resettlement jargon as 'impostors') and notices are posted in the clearance area to warn impostors who may move into the area that they will not be eligible for resettlement. Each structure is numbered and the particulars of the approximate family composition of the people who claim to live in it are recorded well in advance of the final clearance.
50. The next step is the screening process. This is done by Resettle- ment Assistants who visit each structure in the area and record on a statutory screening form the particulars of every person living in it. Another section of the sub-division carries out a detailed investigation, in which the number of bedspaces and the possessions in the hut are checked, the address compared with that recorded with the Registrar of Persons and alternative addresses visited. A 'white card' (that is, a Resettlement Department temporary identity card) is issued to the head of each household considered to be genuinely living in the clearance area, and completed screening forms are passed on to the sub-division's Clearance Unit.
51. About a month before the clearance is due to take place, the Clearance Unit issues notices giving the date by which the squatters should register, the date on which they should move, the date by which their hut must be demolished, particulars of the type of accommodation for which the family is eligible and the procedure to be followed. The Resettlement Assistant responsible for the clearance delivers these notices personally and explains to the head of each household what is happening and answers their questions. During the next four weeks the Resettlement Assistant has to be ready to deal with all kinds of requests and to help in solving personal and family problems.
52.
By the end of the first week, most of the questions have been answered and a great many personal problems have been solved or
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