The Transport & Housing Bureau has completed approval procedures for applications for the ex-gratia rehousing package for households affected by the Express Rail Link project.

Including three which are not from Choi Yuen Tsuen, 232 households of about 430 people claimed they were affected by land resumptions and clearances under the project and have registered with the Lands Department. Of them, 190 households applied for the rehousing package.

Nearly 150 applications have been approved, in which more than 60 are qualified households which have fully met the prescribed eligibility criteria. The Secretary for Transport & Housing exercised discretion and approved 80 cases which did not fully comply with the criteria. The remaining one-fourth of the applications failed to meet the requirements.

All villagers will be notified of the results by May 10. About $72 million in ex-gratia cash allowances have been offered to the approved applicants in total. About 100 applications have been granted an ex-gratia cash allowance of $500,000 or more.

About 40 households chose to buy Home Ownership Scheme flats. Arrangements have been made for them to select the flats in accordance with the selection priority decided earlier. The flats are ready for taking over upon deal completion. Some villagers have signed the provisional agreement for sale and purchase.

Nearly half the applications for the special rehousing package have been made by singleton households. Many of them are self-reliant single adults who are often members of the second or third generation of the family. Many are residing in structures converted from pig or chicken sheds.

The Government has adopted a humanitarian and flexible approach to accommodate the affected villagers' needs as far as possible. A considerable number of cases involving seniors, elderly singletons, chronic patients and families experiencing unexpected changes have been given compassionate consideration. If they meet the criteria they will be moved to public housing or interim housing units as soon as possible.

On land compensation about $160 million has been offered to 40 extended families who owned private land. A total of $240 million including ex-gratia cash allowances and land compensation has been offered to the Choi Yuen Tsuen villagers.

Twenty-nine villagers have applied for agricultural resite so they can continue farming and build a house nearby. Seven have been verified as genuine farmers. Nine have had their applications withdrawn or rejected on the grounds they are not affected by the land resumption, overlapping of farm land or other reasons.

Other villagers wishing to apply for agricultural resite should submit applications by mid-May so the Government can process their applications and verify their eligibility soon. Otherwise, construction work for residential houses may not be completed by the end of October and villagers may need to seek temporary residences.