PAP MP doing the right thing: sack the expensive town council mayors

Put HDB in charge of maintenance for housing estates instead of town councils: Murali Pillai​

The HDB had taken on the role of estate manager before the Town Councils Act was passed in 1989. PHOTO: ST FILE


Ng Keng Gene

May 10, 20222



SINGAPORE - An MP has proposed that the Housing Board handle maintenance for public housing estates, to manage the rising costs of such services and address other challenges that town councils have faced in providing them.
In his adjournment motion on Monday (May 9), Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) made the case for the re-centralisation of estate maintenance resources under HDB.
He cited how new Build-To-Order (BTO) projects would have "significantly higher" maintenance costs compared with older blocks as they are high-rise and have extra "green" features. Town councils also will not enjoy any economies of scale for such costs, he added.
The HDB had taken on the role of estate manager before the Town Councils Act was passed in 1989 to give elected MPs autonomy to run towns by decentralising the management and maintenance of HDB estates.
In response, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann said: "We would think very carefully before re-centralising township maintenance... because devolution is at the heart of the town council concept."
She noted that it will not be feasible for the Government to fully fund cost increases, as inflationary pressures are affecting all sectors - not just estate maintenance.
In his speech, Mr Murali had highlighted a misalignment of incentives between the HDB and town councils, which could lead to increased maintenance costs.

​

HDB - as the developer - may not adequately consider maintenance costs in its building designs, he said, noting it has different motivations from a maintenance contractor.
Newer high-rise BTO projects, for example, have pressure reducing valves installed to ensure the water supply is working well, he added. Some green areas require specialists to maintain them, instead of general landscaping contractors.
Having these BTO projects in mature estates also raises the issue of equity, said Mr Murali.


He said residents of older flats could potentially be helping to bear the higher maintenance costs of newer BTO flats. This is because town councils do not differentiate between residents of newer and older flats when collecting service and conservancy charges, which go towards funding such works.
On the lifespan of common properties in older estates, Mr Murali argued that service and conservancy charges should be used to maintain such infrastructure, but not to replace them when they have exceeded their lifespan.
He thus urged the Government to review the current system of estate management, and consider having HDB take charge of maintenance services.
If this is not feasible, the authorities could alternatively ensure service and conservancy charges are not used for renewal of infrastructure or to address design issues in BTO developments, he added.


In her response, Ms Sim said long-term cost increases will have to be borne by all parties.
Town councils play an important role in managing cost increases, she said, adding this is why they have full autonomy to set rates for service and conservancy charges.
On possible misaligned incentives of developers and maintenance contractors, Ms Sim said HDB considers sustainability and maintainability in its design of new BTO projects. The Government will review its processes to ensure that ease of maintenance is given priority, she added.
Addressing Mr Murali's call for the Government to fund replacements of infrastructure beyond its life cycle, Ms Sim said the Government is already co-funding such works.
Town councils are required to allocate at least 40 per cent of their income to funds which go towards cyclical works, she said, adding that a similar percentage of Government grants are channelled towards these funds.
The Government will pay attention to maintenance costs in designing HDB towns and track how the costs of running public housing estates should be managed, she said.

Many Cronies tan boh chiak.

Forum: Let MPs focus on other roles besides estate maintenance​

May 13, 2022

I support Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai's suggestion that the Housing Board should bear the responsibility of maintaining housing estates instead of the town councils (Let HDB maintain housing estates to manage rising costs: MP, May 11).
Town councils were established 33 years ago and it is now time to relook and rethink the role of town councils and MPs.
Mr Murali's assertion that residents of older flats could potentially be helping to bear the higher maintenance costs of newer flats is also spot on. Since newer blocks of flats have features such as green areas, maintenance costs will inevitably increase.
HDB should look into lowering the costs of daily maintenance.
As it is, MPs have their hands full helping their constituents with their problems and representing constituents' concerns in Parliament, among other things.
Let MPs perform their many roles and leave the running of the housing estates to HDB to keep maintenance costs as low as possible.

Heng Cho Choon


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As though the fucking PAP MPs are so busy doing their rounds the estates. In fact most of the MPs are the Town Council mayors themselves.

Instead of making that statement...the fact should be that the $500K Town Council mayors are not doing their jobs.

How about cutting the salaries of the town mayors to keep costs down?

Service and conservancy charges for HDB residents likely to go up​

Singapore's town councils are currently evaluating their finances to determine an appropriate increase in S&CC. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Amelia Teng

Apr 30, 2023

SINGAPORE – Service and conservancy charges (S&CC) are likely to go up soon for Housing Board residents, but the Government will provide temporary support to cushion the impact on households.
Town councils here are currently evaluating their finances to determine an appropriate increase in S&CC, and more details will be provided after these deliberations are completed, coordinating chairman for PAP town councils Lim Biow Chuan told The Straits Times.
S&CC was last raised in 2017, with the hike of between $1 and $17 per month phased over two years. Such fees go towards estate cleaning, landscaping, refuse collection, pest control and maintenance of mechanical and electrical fixtures such as lifts and lights.
When the rates are adjusted, “time-limited, special funding support” will be given to help residents deal with the higher fees, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai on April 21.
Responding to queries from ST, Mr Lim said town councils have been facing increasing cost pressures over energy prices, maintenance costs and manpower costs. Some of these increases have been particularly sharp, such as for energy prices, which have risen by 23 per cent between 2018 and 2023, he said.
Lift maintenance costs have also increased due to higher labour costs for lift technicians and higher materials costs.
“With the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model to uplift low-wage workers, the town councils’ operational costs have also gone up due to increase in tender prices for conservancy cleaning contracts and horticulture contracts,” Mr Lim said.

“This increase in costs cannot be avoided if we want to support the lower-wage workers.”
Mr Lim, who is also MP for Mountbatten, stressed that PAP town councils have been careful in managing expenditure and constantly seek productivity improvements and cost savings.
“Town councils are grateful to the Ministry of National Development (MND) for providing regular grants for our operations, which help us maintain S&CC at a lower level than we otherwise would need to,” he added. Some $240 million in grants are provided to town councils each year to offset maintenance costs so that they do not fully fall on residents.
Mr Murali said a key concern is that maintenance costs for mature HDB estates will rise faster than for newer estates.
Based on the latest financial statements, he told ST that town councils that manage a substantial number of mature flats tend to “run operational deficits before accounting for government grants, which are admittedly quite substantial”.
“In mature estates, there are simply more things to maintain,” he said. “For example, it is not uncommon to see perimeter drains that have become misaligned or damaged due to soil subsidence or natural deterioration.”

ST contacted nearly all 17 town councils, run by either the People’s Action Party or the Workers’ Party, but they declined to comment or did not respond.
Observers such as National University of Singapore (NUS) business school professor Lawrence Loh said the confluence of global factors such as inflation and geopolitical tensions having raised the cost of materials and services meant a price alignment is necessary.
But it is critical to ensure that lower-income households are not hit hard by the fee adjustments, he said.
“Financial support and rebates should remain a mainstay of assistance schemes. Yet, we have to consider carefully if any changes should be locked in permanently so as not to affect long-term financial sustainability,” said Prof Loh, who is director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS.
“It may be prudent to introduce time-bound or one-off additional measures initially while the picture of overall economic recovery and cost stabilisation becomes clearer.”
Manpower costs are likely to be a strong driver behind the impending hike, said Singapore Management University’s associate professor of law Eugene Tan. He noted that wages have been rising after little to no wage adjustment during the pandemic years of 2020 to 2022.
Even so, there is always a question over whether S&CC hikes can be deferred or be smaller, given that town councils have operational surpluses, he said. “Furthermore, some residents are of the view that standards of estate maintenance have not improved, and so the hike in charges is less acceptable.”
Given additional funding from MND, some residents may also find the higher charges puzzling, Prof Tan added.
In its April parliamentary reply, MND said the Government had provided additional funding to town councils in May 2022 to help them manage steep cost increases caused by factors such as the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the global supply crunch.
The money would go towards projects under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme and the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC). CIPC funds are typically used for facilities such as covered walkways, footpaths, cycling tracks and playgrounds.
The Government gives out rebates in its annual Budget to offset the S&CC. Depending on flat type, Singaporean households will receive between 1½ and 3½ months of rebates in 2023.

GE2025: PAP’s Denise Phua defends relevance of mayors amid criticism of the role​

PAP Jalan Besar candidates Shawn Loh. ;Josephine Teo, Denise Phua and Wan Rizal taking a wefie with Ms Tan Leng Hong, 60 during the Walkabout at Upper Boon Keng Market on April 27, 2025 . ST Photo : Desmond Wee.The Straits Times

Judith Tan
Apr 27, 2025

SINGAPORE - PAP candidate for Jalan Besar GRC Denise Phua said the roles of mayors and the Community Development Councils (CDCs) continue to be important as they serve regional roles that are separate from those of MPs or grassroot advisors.

While most people know the CDC as the lead agency to come up with the CDC vouchers, the CDCs actually do a lot more than that, said Ms Phua, noting that many of the programmes are also led by the five mayors in charge of the five districts.

“We operate as a regional office that does not take over the role of the MP or the grassroot advisors, but really looking at the entire district so that CDCs and the mayors are able to aggregate the needs of the district, find some common areas,” she told reporters during a media doorstop interview at Upper Boon Keng Market and Food Centre on April 27.

For example, in her district, the CDC runs more than 50 programmes to address the needs of residents.

Ms Phua has served as the Mayor of Central Singapore District since 2014. She was responding to questions about the role of mayors, which was raised by opposition parties like the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR).

In rallies on April 26, both parties had called for the abolishing of such mayor positions should they be elected.

Referring to the CDCs as an “ideas bank”, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who is helming the PAP’s Jalan Besar GRC team, said that many programmes in her constituency that are targeted at vulnerable families, mid-career workers and the youth have benefited from the support of the CDC.


“The profiles of our residents have changed from time to time, and when you have new resident groups moving in, it takes time to learn about their needs, understand their aspirations, and then design programmes that they will find useful,” she said.

“The CDCs have often stepped in to share best practices in other constituencies, so that shortens the learning curve, and allows us to learn from others what works, what does not work, and how we can actually innovate in a way that serves the residents,” added Mrs Teo.

Fellow Jalan Besar candidates Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah and Mr Shawn Loh also joined Mrs Teo and Ms Phua at the April 27 media doorstop. The incumbent PAP team will go head-to-head with the PAR in a battle for Jalan Besar GRC in the May 3 polls.

Dr Wan Rizal also told the media that racial and religious harmony in Singapore has come a long way, and its related challenges cannot be taken lightly.



PAP Jalan Besar candidate Wan Rizal said his approach had always been to serve both the Malay/Muslim community and the broader community.The Straits Times
The Singapore government had, on April 25, moved to block Singapore users’ access to several instances of online election advertising (OEA) posted on Facebook by foreigners.

These posts were made by two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee who is now an Australian citizen, who criticised the Singapore government’s handling of sensitive religious issues, and urged Singaporeans to vote along religious lines.

They, along with a Singaporean self-styled religious teacher based in Malaysia known as Mr Noor Deros, had spotlighted several opposition politicians in social media posts, including incumbent Aljunied MP Faisal Manap, who is contesting Tampines GRC this year under the WP banner.

When asked for his views on recent reports over attempted foreign interference in Singapore’s general election, Dr Wan Rizal emphasised that the party “outrightly rejects such interferences”.

“I think it’s our responsibility, as good politicians, to make sure that this does not affect our politics here in Singapore. We truly believe that at the end of the day … Singaporeans must be our focus and attention as we go forward,” he said.

As a former mosque leader for 10 years, Dr Wan Rizal also said that his approach has always been to serve both the Malay/Muslim community and the broader community.

“I think that is how we should view religion in Singapore, it is actually a way to uplift and help one another in Singapore, and we should see it in that context rather than just a very myopic way of just focusing on one community over the other,” he added.

Building on that, Ms Phua said that the five-year Jalan Besar Masterplan that they hope to implement is a plan “for all”, and includes both public and private residents.

“When we say we have plans for Jalan Besar GRC, we are looking at a Jalan Besar for all, regardless of age, abilities, home - whether in public or private estates - and backgrounds. We are excited about being given a chance to build an even more vibrant, sustainable town, and definitely a more caring community for all,” she said.

Political newcomer Mr Loh also shared his experience on the ground, saying that “every single handshake, every smile, every word of encouragement, every word of support” is important.

“I think it’s a reflection of the good work that the team has done in the past, and it’s a reflection of the good work that we will continue to do if we get elected into Parliament,” he said.

Forum: Govt must act firmly against residents who break rules in HDB estates​

Dec 11, 2024

Incidents of residents cluttering the common corridors at HDB blocks are a symptom of a larger problem – the lack of enforcement of existing rules and regulations.

For decades, rules have been in place to maintain the cleanliness and safety of public housing estates, and to foster community living. However, a lack of consistent enforcement has created a culture of non-compliance in some residents. This has led to some residents feeling that they can disregard the rules without consequences.

By not taking a firmer stance against rule-breakers, the authorities are inadvertently condoning bad behaviour. This creates an unfair environment for responsible residents who take pride in their living spaces.

The authorities’ reliance on education and engagement alone is insufficient. While these efforts are important, they are no substitute for consistent enforcement of rules.

It is time for a more proactive approach to enforcing rules and regulations in public housing estates. This includes increasing patrols, issuing warnings and fines, and working with residents to maintain clean and safe living environments.

Only by taking a firmer stance against irresponsible behaviour can we create a more considerate and community-minded society.

Mohamad Nurhafiz Mohd Noor

Forum: Dealing with municipal disamenities has to be prompt and effective​

Dec 13, 2024

I agree completely with Mr Mohamad Nurhafiz Mohd Noor (Govt must act firmly against residents who break rules in HDB estates, Dec 11) as I had been mulling over writing a similar letter.

In my HDB block and the immediate areas, one can see, smell or hear illegal activities every day, such as littering, bird feeding, smoking at the staircase and void deck, and loud noises during silent hours.

Residents have complained over the years, but actions taken have been ineffective or unreasonably delayed.

For example, it took me four complaints over four months and a letter to the National Environment Agency (NEA) chief executive before there was finally effective action against illegal smoking at a coffee shop.

NEA later explained that earlier enforcement had not worked because officers had not gone at the times when the offenders were there, which I had stated clearly.

The situation is the same for smoking in other prohibited areas. Multiple complaints, same perpetrators, but the unpleasant situation persists. In fact, when I confronted one of the lawbreakers, he brazenly said: “NEA cannot catch me; I am not afraid of them.”

My “favourite” example is that of bird-feeding, which has contributed to huge flocks of pigeons and dozens of thriving, screeching jungle fowl which start their day at 4am.

I do see banners educating people about this illegal act, but there are still many bird-feeders around.

Can the authorities take a leaf out of the Singapore Police Force’s book, which is to have pop-up boards stating how many people have been fined for such activities in the area?

Tan Yi Shu

Dec 15, 2024



In less than a week since reopening after three months of renovation works, more work was done on Jurong West 505 Market and Food Centre.

About 30 seats were removed from the hawker centre following feedback from diners that the seats were too close together and they found themselves shoulder to shoulder when seated on the new stools.


The space between some tables was also not wide enough for wheelchairs to pass.

A Shin Min Daily News reader saw a worker removing the seats on the evening of Dec 12.


A diner spotted at the hawker centre on Dec 13 said: "It's very hot, so removing the seats will allow for more personal space and prevent overcrowding."

The diner added that it was more pleasant to enjoy a meal at the hawker centre without bumping into other diners.

New town councils formed in Jalan Kayu and Punggol after GE2025, bringing the total to 19​

The Ministry of National Development issued an order under the Town Councils Act on May 30 to put into effect the formation of a total of 19 town councils.

May 30, 2025

SINGAPORE – Two new town councils have been formed in Jalan Kayu and Punggol after the 2025 General Election.

In a statement on May 30, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said it issued an order under the Town Councils Act on the same day to put into effect the formation of a total of 19 town councils, set up at the request of the MPs.

There were 17 of them previously.

Jalan Kayu Town Council covers only the single-member constituency won by the PAP’s Mr Ng Chee Meng at the May 3 polls against the WP’s Mr Andre Low.

Mr Ng, who is secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, will chair it.

Punggol Town Council covers the corresponding group representation constituency, which was won by the PAP.


Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development, told The Straits Times that she will chair the new town council. Two of her fellow Punggol GRC MPs, Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, will be vice-chairs.

The last time a town council was formed with just one SMC was after the 2011 General Election, where PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin wrested back the Potong Pasir single seat from the Singapore People’s Party. Mr Sitoh ran the town council on his own till 2015, when the constituency was grouped under Jalan Besar Town Council after the election that year.

Under the Town Councils Act, a town can be declared as an area comprising a single constituency or up to three constituencies, where the MPs agree to declare the constituencies as a town. There are 33 constituencies in total.


The Jalan Kayu single seat was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC before the 2025 election.

Ang Mo Kio Town Council previously served the GRC, before Jalan Kayu was carved out, as well as its neighbouring Yio Chu Kang and Kebun Baru SMCs.

With the latest order, Kebun Baru MP Henry Kwek will chair Ang Mo Kio Town Council, with Minister of State for Education and Digital Development and Information Jasmin Lau and Mr Darryl David as vice-chairs.

In a statement from the Ang Mo Kio and Jalan Kayu town councils, Mr Kwek said Jalan Kayu will continue to be part of the “extended Ang Mo Kio family”.

“Ang Mo Kio Town Council will work closely together with Jalan Kayu Town Council, so that we can enjoy economies of scale and secure the best services and rates for our residents,” he said.

“In addition, we will continue to co-organise signature events, so that our residents can come together and enjoy these festivities as one Ang Mo Kio family.”


Mr Ng assured Jalan Kayu residents that there would be no disruption to their municipal services nor will there be any changes in service and conservancy charges as a result of the town council changes.

He said the current managing agent, CPG Facilities Management, will continue to serve Jalan Kayu for the time being.

“We are also reviewing the development plans of Jalan Kayu town and look forward to sharing some exciting updates with residents in August,” he added.

Jalan Kayu Town Council will announce its permanent location once confirmed, said the statement. In the meantime, residents can continue to visit the Fernvale office at Block 410 Fernvale Road.

Earlier in May, Mr Ng said he had asked Prime Minister Lawrence Wong not to assign him any ministerial position, as he wanted to focus on his duties as Jalan Kayu MP and his role as labour chief.

MND said the other town councils include 12 that are reconstituted owing to electoral boundary changes and five with unchanged town boundaries.

Among the 12 reconstituted town councils, four have been renamed. Jurong-Clementi Town Council will now be Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council.

And in line with changes to the names of the GRCs they will serve, Marine Parade Town Council will be Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council; Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will be Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council; and West Coast Town Council will be West Coast-Jurong West Town Council.

The eight other reconstituted town councils will keep their names: Aljunied-Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Chua Chu Kang, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Panjang, Jalan Besar, Tampines, and Tanjong Pagar.

And the five town councils with the same town boundaries will continue with their original names: Bishan-Toa Payoh, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon, Sembawang and Sengkang.

MND said the town councils have up to 90 days from the date of the order to complete the handover and take over the management of the areas to be transferred.

Those affected – the two new town councils and 12 reconstituted ones – will then take over running the new areas from Aug 1.

The town councils can mutually agree to complete the handover and takeover process earlier if they wish, said MND. The ministry also encouraged all town councils to work together to ensure a smooth transition, so that the needs of residents can continue to be served.

The formation of the town councils comes nearly a month after the polls, where the incumbents retained all their seats. This means no town council will be changing hands between political parties.

Forum: Concerned about the state of cleanliness in Chinatown​

Jul 15, 2025

As a long-time resident of Chinatown, I am increasingly concerned about the state of cleanliness in the neighbourhood. Over the past few months, the decline has become hard to ignore.

Rubbish is often seen along the pavements, and it is not uncommon to spot rats rummaging through trash in broad daylight.

Chinatown was never spotless, but it used to be decently clean, pleasant enough for a nice walk or to welcome visiting friends. These days, I find myself avoiding certain alleys and street corners because they have become too unsightly or unhygienic.


It is easy to point fingers at tourists or foreign workers, but I’ve noticed that many of the offenders are locals.

Some older individuals openly spit or discard litter as though someone else is responsible for cleaning up after them. This undermines the values we claim to uphold as a clean and green society.

Before the blame is placed on the hired cleaners, I believe it must be acknowledged that this may not be a matter of efficiency but of resourcing.

In a high-traffic neighbourhood like Chinatown, no cleaning team, no matter how hard-working, can keep up without sufficient manpower and support.

What is urgently needed is both stronger enforcement of anti-littering laws and a cleaning force that matches the scale of activity in the area. Public messaging alone is not enough.

I urge the authorities and all fellow Singaporeans to take this matter seriously.

Cleanliness is not just about civic pride. It is about hygiene, safety and preserving the liveability of the spaces we all share.

Justin Kan Rui Liang

Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating​

SCDF said on July 30 that because the dry rising main was not working, water could not be charged up to the affected floors.


Summary

• Toa Payoh fire: SCDF found Block 229's dry rising main faulty, hindering firefighting on the 10th and 11th floors on July 29.
• Residents reported firefighters struggling with the dry riser, and confusion over evacuation. Staircase became smoke-logged while trying to escape.
• Temporary shelter and essential items were provided to affected residents.

AI generated


Jul 30, 2025

SINGAPORE - The dry rising main at Block 229 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 was not in proper working condition when the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) fought the blaze there on July 29.

SCDF said on July 30 that because the dry rising main was not working, water could not be charged up to the affected floors.

Firefighters had to set up hoses directly from the fire engine below up to the 10th and 11th floors via the staircase.

The fire had engulfed a flat on the 10th floor and spread to a unit on the 11th. A total of seven people, including a firefighter and a child, were taken to hospital.

An SCDF spokesman said: “This is more onerous, but it is a contingency that SCDF firefighters regularly train for during their routine drills.”

The dry rising main is a vertical red pipe installed in a building, and is typically dry when not in use.

During a fire, it is charged with water from a fire engine, allowing water to reach the upper floors of a building.

SCDF said it is working with the town council to investigate the incident. It is also working to rectify the dry rising main fault to ensure it is in proper working condition.

The spokesman said: “SCDF takes a serious view of fire safety and will take firm action against any non-compliance with fire safety requirements, including non-maintenance of fire safety provisions such as the dry rising main.”

A similar incident happened in August 2020, when the wet riser was not working when firefighters tried to use it to fight the flames on the 20th floor at Block 138C Lorong 1A Toa Payoh.

On July 30, residents of Block 229 told The Straits Times they had noticed firefighters having trouble getting water from the dry riser.

Residents also raised concerns about fire escape routes, as the 25-storey building was a point block, with only one exit staircase down.

They said initial instructions on what to do after the fire broke out were confusing.

Some said that when they called 995, they were told to quickly take the stairs down to the ground floor.

But several of those living in the units above the 10th floor were unable to do so, as the sole staircase had become smoke-logged.


They were then told to head upstairs.

Some residents faced difficulty, as the area was filled with thick black smoke.

A retiree living on the ninth floor, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Tan, 72, said: “It was an inferno. We knocked on as many doors as we could. But we couldn’t get to some of them because the staircase was filled with smoke.”

ST has contacted the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council for comment.

Mrs Tan said the woman living in the 10th floor unit that was on fire had stumbled down the stairs and was crying when she approached her and her husband.

She said the woman appeared to be hyperventilating and asked for help to call 995.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat posted on Facebook on July 30 that temporary shelter had been arranged for affected households.

Essential items such as mattresses, daily necessities and mineral water have also been provided through community partners.

The power supply for most of the units in the block had been restored by July 30.

But the restoration of electricity is expected to take longer for units on the 10th floor.

A resident there, Mr Seah Seng Chye, 50, a teacher, said the authorities told him the earliest it could be restored was Aug 4.

He said he would be staying with his in-laws in the meantime, and hoped the authorities could look into better fire escape routes for the block.

A resident on the 15th floor, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ong, 46, an architect, agreed.

He said: “There are quite a few elderly and young families staying here. Hopefully the authorities can look into what more can be done to make it safer.”

If the MP is also the mayor then why need both…especially if the job costs $600k to taxpayers?

That was the case before the PAP created the town council.

Good, now the MPs can focus on the real issues.

Get rid of the mayors too. Mayors do nothing more than the MPs but they earn more and get to travel overseas on our taxes.

The town councils and the mayors will remain because they benefit the PAP.

Aug 7, 2025, 01:48pm



Cherlynn Ng
Submitted by Stomper
Randy
A resident was faced with a choked rubbish chute after someone threw cardboard down, clogging the passageway.

Stomper Randy alerted Stomp to a video of the incident that has been circulating online.

According to a caption accompanying the video, the resident said he had tried clearing the mess himself with a stick.


"But it was impossible as the cardboard thrown by someone else was too much and somehow (got stuck on) my level," shared the resident, who then reported the issue to Jalan Besar Town Council.

The resident alleged: "(The town council) told me that the cleaner isn't allowed to enter my house and asked me to clean this up myself.


"Is this the way town council settles problems for residents? Where is our money which we paid the town council going to?

"They said that the cleaner checked the main rubbish chute but there's no chokage. Of course! It's on my level, obviously they can't see any chokage."

The video, posted by Singapore Incidents on Aug 3, has garnered over 204,000 views and 250 comments to date.

In response to a Stomp query, Jalan Besar Town Council said the bin chute has since been cleared. It declined to share the location, citing privacy concerns.

A spokesperson told Stomp on Aug 7: "As an added measure, the town council's cleaning team also checked the other bin chutes in the block and no chokage was observed.

"We encourage residents to dispose of cardboard properly by recycling it in the blue recycling bin found at every block. This not only prevents the possibility of choking the bin chutes, it is also one way of doing our part for the environment."