Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1970-1971 — Page 16

Resettlement Departmental Reports 徙置事務處年報 All

impossible if there were no resettlement estates in which to rehouse the squatters occupying the land. Water schemes, schools, hospitals and other public buildings or works are the next priority. Provision is also made for private, commercial, residen- tial, and industrial development in accordance with approved town plans.

(ii) Date for clearance

Before the land can be cleared any private land involved must be resumed, any valid permits cancelled and compensation assessed. Moving house is a considerable upheaval and ample time must be allowed for sorting out such personal problems as finding new jobs and schools. Development of the site must start immediately after clearance in order to avoid leaving the land idle, which might attract new squatting.

(iii) Accommodation

Sufficient accommodation in a suitable estate must be available for each clearance. As land in the central urban areas is now almost fully developed, sites for new resettlement estates can usually be found only in the more outlying areas. In general, squatters are moved to the nearest available estate but quite often the estate is, of necessity, quite a considerable distance from the site to be cleared.

30. 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.

31. 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

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