Only canned beer is available for sale at Tekka hawker centre, following concerns on glass bottles being used as weapons in fights.
(AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN)
SINGAPORE: Stallholders at Tekka hawker centre have stopped selling bottled beer, as highlighted in recent media reports. Only canned beer is available for sale there.
But grassroots leaders hope more can be done to enforce this no-bottles move. They have noticed more people thronging Tekka Centre - particularly after restrictions were put in place to curb alcohol consumption in Little India's public areas.
The police had engaged stall owners in August and September to reduce the risk of glass bottles being used as weapons in fights. It added that all the stall owners whom police spoke to said they will consider doing so for safety reasons.
"Our RC members had flagged the concern that more people were actually gathering in Tekka Market to drink, and the market was getting a little overcrowded,” said Martin Pereira, former chairman of Moulmein-Tekka Residents’ Committee. “And we had noticed there were bottles on the table always, and all the time. And our concern was that these bottles could be used as projectiles, and as weapons, and so we communicated our concerns to the police during the RC meetings."
Mr Pereira was, until end-June, the chairman of the Residents' Committee.
Still, the no-bottles initiative has not stopped some from bringing their own into the hawker centre. This has caused some stallholders to worry about their business, since they stopped selling bottled beer on Oct 1.
Hawkers whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to said their customers generally prefer bottled beer to canned beer.
"Price-wise, customers feel canned beer is not worth it compared to bottled beer,” said Maureen Ho, the owner of Little India Hot & Cold Drinks stall. “A can is 500ml, bottle is 640ml. They also feel bottled beer tastes better. For most, when you tell them there's only canned beer, they get fed up."
Stall owners said they been told that if business is badly affected after three months, they could go back to selling bottled beer, but only on weekdays.
Mr Pereira said residents have expressed hope that authorities come up with measures to prevent people from bringing in their own liquor bottles into the hawker centre.
SINGAPORE: Stallholders at Tekka hawker centre have stopped selling bottled beer, as highlighted in recent media reports. Only canned beer is available for sale there.
But grassroots leaders hope more can be done to enforce this no-bottles move. They have noticed more people thronging Tekka Centre - particularly after restrictions were put in place to curb alcohol consumption in Little India's public areas.
The police had engaged stall owners in August and September to reduce the risk of glass bottles being used as weapons in fights. It added that all the stall owners whom police spoke to said they will consider doing so for safety reasons.
"Our RC members had flagged the concern that more people were actually gathering in Tekka Market to drink, and the market was getting a little overcrowded,” said Martin Pereira, former chairman of Moulmein-Tekka Residents’ Committee. “And we had noticed there were bottles on the table always, and all the time. And our concern was that these bottles could be used as projectiles, and as weapons, and so we communicated our concerns to the police during the RC meetings."
Mr Pereira was, until end-June, the chairman of the Residents' Committee.
Still, the no-bottles initiative has not stopped some from bringing their own into the hawker centre. This has caused some stallholders to worry about their business, since they stopped selling bottled beer on Oct 1.
Hawkers whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to said their customers generally prefer bottled beer to canned beer.
"Price-wise, customers feel canned beer is not worth it compared to bottled beer,” said Maureen Ho, the owner of Little India Hot & Cold Drinks stall. “A can is 500ml, bottle is 640ml. They also feel bottled beer tastes better. For most, when you tell them there's only canned beer, they get fed up."
Stall owners said they been told that if business is badly affected after three months, they could go back to selling bottled beer, but only on weekdays.
Mr Pereira said residents have expressed hope that authorities come up with measures to prevent people from bringing in their own liquor bottles into the hawker centre.
