since the introduction of the 16-storey blocks and the problem of finding enough accommodation for all the shops cleared from squatter areas is a constant one.
CLEARANCE
48. Each structure in the clearance area is numbered and the approximate details of the families living there are recorded. This first survey is done so as to ensure that only genuine residents are given resettlement. Notices are posted to warn anyone who moves in after this survey that they will not be eligible for resettlement. Screening then follows; the particulars of each resident are entered on the statutory screening form, after which a 'White Card' (a Resettlement Department identity card) is issued to the head of each household.
49. About a month before the clearance is due to take place, the clearance officer delivers notices to each family explaining when and where they should pay rent for their new rooms in the estate and the date on which they should move. He can also answer any questions, help to solve problems and arrange for free transport, if required. At the time of the actual move, as many as a thousand people may move in one day if the clearance is a large one, but movements generally tend to be piecemeal, depending on the date by which the squatter has finished decorating his new estate room (usually about a fortnight after paying rent).
THE SPECIALIZED UNITS
50. As can be seen from above, much of the work depends on personal contact between the Clearance Officer and the squatter. For this reason, clearance staff is deployed in three offices, Hong Kong Island (headed by an Assistant Resettlement Officer), Kowloon (headed by an Assistant Resettlement Officer) and the New Territories (headed by a Resettlement Officer with his office in Yuen Long). These three offices, which are under the general command of a Senior Resettlement Officer, carry out the actual work of clearance; the other field units
are:
(i) the Screening Unit (headed by an Assistant Resettlement Officer) which carries out the screening as mentioned in paragraph 48 above,
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