Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1971-1972 — Page 32

the communal lavatories as well as the open areas surrounding the block. Unlike later marks of blocks where refuse chutes are provided, residents have either to engage private contractors to collect their refuse, or dispose of it themselves. As a pilot scheme, door-to-door collection of household refuse is being tried out at Lei Cheng Uk Estate. It is hoped that if the scheme proves successful, it can be extended to other old estates.

67. In the newer estates, the cleansing service is by contract labour. Under this system, which is cheaper than direct labour, the cleaning of the blocks is done by labourers employed by private contractors selected by competitive tender. Refuse is collected door-to-door early in the morning, each labourer being responsible for 140 rooms. The refuse rooms are under the control of the contractors and are cleaned daily and kept locked. During the year, the contract system was extended to 166 blocks in 12 estates of Mark III-VI blocks. By the end of the year, 98,795 rooms in 12 estates/sections of estates were under cleansing contract (see Appendix 8). The main problem of contract cleansing is that the estate has no direct labour which can be called upon for other work such as the removal of abandoned articles etc.

68. Apart from the normal refuse disposed of by Urban Services Department vehicles, the disposal of abandoned articles which cannot be fitted into the government incinerator poses another problem to this department. As a result of the closing down of two burning points, additional funds for hiring transport were sought to convey the abandoned articles to Gin Drinker's Bay for disposal. However, continual difficulty is experienced and a satisfactory solution has not yet been found.

HAWKERS AND ILLEGAL STRUCTURES

69. In July 1971 the department commenced a methodical campaign to resite hawkers in temporary bazaars throughout the middle-aged estates. Genuine hawkers of long standing in these estates were allocated 24 square fect sites in a proper layout, and were required to construct stalls to an approved standard design. As soon as the new stalls had been constructed and occupied the old stalls together with other illegal structures of all kinds, were demolished. By the end of the year a total of 2,025 hawkers had been resited and 3,136 illegal structures demolished in middle-aged estates. Included in the above statistics are 178 hawkers who were removed from Jordan Valley Estate to a nearby Urban Services market which was constructed during the year.

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