Dormitory

This story was printed from TODAYonline

A busy Sunday afternoon at the park Residents at Tai Hwan estate unhappy over proposed workers’ dorm

Monday • October 6, 2008

Lin Yanqin
yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

IT HAS long been a pleasant spot for residents to relax and for children to play in, but yesterday afternoon, this leafy park in the middle of the Tai Hwan estate — just off Serangoon Gardens — saw a crowd gather for a very different purpose.

Already unhappy about having a temporary foreign workers’ dorm in their vicinity at Serangoon Gardens and further dismayed that a new access road for the dorm was to run right along their estate into Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, the 100 or so residents were here air their views to their MP, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua.

In a 90-minute question and answer session, Mrs Lim sought to dispel the belief that the dorm was a “done deal” and that the consultation exercise had merely been lip service — a view held by several residents present.

Ongoing roadwork at the Central Expressway (CTE) had given rise to the “mistaken belief” that he construction of the new road had already began, she said.

Some of the residents who, though appreciative of how Mrs Lim had worked past midnight to deliver the decision —detailed in a newsletter to households — were still not mollified. They wanted to know whether the busy traffic conditions of the area has been considered, and whether roads could handle the additional transport shuttling
workers to their workplaces.

“You’ve shifted the problem here (from Burghley Drive),” said a resident to applause. Another resident proposed building a shorter road directly into the CTE instead, to avoid adding to the congestion at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. “There have been many accidents (at Ave 1) ... it’s for the
well-being of the workers as much as for the residents,” he said.

Mrs Lim, also the Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance, said that she would put
the suggestion to the Land Transport Authority for consideration. But it was an option previously considered and ruled out, as it would be tricky to execute due to the terrain. “I don’t want to overpromise,” she said.

Also a cause for concern was the noise and pollution the new road would add to nearby residences. There was also the issue of littering, and the safety of the residents.

Would the Government keep its promise that the dorm was temporary with a maximum lease of five years, they also asked.

Mrs Lim said that all these concerns, plus any others made by residents, would be made known the dorm operator — to be selected — who will incorporate them into house rules, a “condition” of the proposal. “The promise (of the five-year lease) is in the newsletter for all to see,” she said, adding that the dorm was likely to be in use for less than five years.

But some remained unconvinced that workers’ dorms had to be built in residential areas at all. Said resident Mark Giblett: “(The Formula 1 Grand Prix) was put together in less than a year ... our Government is known for being able to do anything it puts its mind to, so I find it hard to accept that they can’t get dorms ready elsewhere.”

Another resident, citing “poor planning” on the part of the authorities to house foreign workers, called for a reversal of the decision.

Mrs Lim said the “poor planning” was “a point well-taken” but felt that it was time to focus on what could be done going forward to make the best of the situation.

Indeed, residents determined that their concerns would not be left out are consulting with Hwan Gardens Neighbourhood Committee chairman John Leow to join a task force that will be set up to address their concerns.


Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

I highlighted the sentences in red as reference for my comment:

If they object to noise and pollution, then Singapore government should never consider building anything there, be it road or houses. *Roll my eyes*

Littering? Are they insinuating that foreign workers will litter? Goodness, have they even looked at the local themselves? Singapore may be a clean place but definitely it is not due to civic mindedness of its people but they owe it to the army of cleaners that the government employs to clean up. I have seen both adults and children littered. Even my Singaporean friends would just dump cigarette butts on the ground and would have simply left empty can drinks on the ground if I have not lightly reprimanded them. This is despite the decades long campaign on cleanliness.

I acknowledge that there are a few genuine concerns, with the one I agree most is traffic congestion. However, it appears to me that some residents just try anything and everything by giving flimsy excuses as long as the dormitory is not built in their estate, specifically one that houses foreign workers. And for what reasons? You can make an educated guess by reading the article above. Aside from those with reasonable concerns, the rest are just arrogant bunch of people.

Singapore government should just ignore them and go ahead with the plan. Let those who don't like the idea move out. Hey, in fact, with private property prices just fell a little the Q2 08 for the first time in 4 years, it is a good time to sell. Move out. Let some other people who can accept foreign workers (who built their homes!) be the new owners of this estate.