NEA says more hawkers raise concern over AHPETC's spring cleaning exercise
Channel NewsAsia, 2 Jun 2013
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has said that it has received feedback that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) does not intend to clean areas above 2.5 metres, at another hawker centre.
Responding to media queries, the NEA said concerns were also raised by hawkers at Block 630 Bedok Reservoir.
The comments come amid an ongoing dispute between the NEA and the AHPETC over who is responsible for paying for scaffoldings that need to be erected for the spring cleaning of ceilings, beams and exhaust ducts at food centres.
The AHPETC said hawkers need to bear the cost.
Some of the affected hawkers have said that from past practice, it was the town council that paid for the scaffolds.
The NEA had noted that the hawkers' refusal to pay was in line with normal practice.
In its reply on Sunday, the NEA said the issue of cleaning areas above 2.5m and AHPETC requiring the hawkers to pay for any scaffoldings, arose from the spring cleaning of Block 538 Bedok North.
"Apart from the hawkers at Block 511, we have also received similar feedback and concerns from hawkers at Block 630 Bedok Reservoir that AHPETC does not intend to clean areas above 2.5m," it added.
"For the spring cleaning at Block 209 Kovan starting 3 June 2013, we have been informed by the contractors that they will not be putting up scaffoldings but will instead be using long poles to clean the ceiling," said NEA.
The NEA also said it was in discussions with AHPETC between December 2012 and February 2013 regarding the detailed timing of the erection and dismantling of the scaffolding needed for the cleaning works for Block 538.
In that context, NEA said it had told AHPETC in February 2013 that the Hawkers Association will make the necessary arrangements with their contractors for their own preparations in relation to the erection and dismantling of the scaffolding by the town council.
The NEA said this though, refers to the need for canvas covers to protect their stalls during the cleaning of the ceilings and beams.
NEA said the protective covers are always paid for by the hawkers.
It added "there was no discussion on any change to the normal practice for the town council to put up and pay for the scaffoldings needed for the cleaning of ceilings during the March spring cleaning exercise at Block 538".
The NEA requires ceilings, beams and exhaust ducts at food centres to be cleaned at least once a year during major spring cleanings.
It has advised AHPETC not to compromise on public hygiene and safety.
NEA, town council war of words heats up
NEA slams 'misleading, inaccurate' statements
By Tessa Wong, The Sunday Times, 2 Jun 2013
NEA slams 'misleading, inaccurate' statements
By Tessa Wong, The Sunday Times, 2 Jun 2013
The National Environment Agency (NEA) yesterday accused the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) and its vice-chairman Pritam Singh of making "misleading and inaccurate" statements, as the war of words over the cleaning of hawker centres was taken up a notch.
The NEA also released a letter from a hawkers' association to show that hawkers had been told by a town council staff member that they would have to pay extra to clean the higher parts of their food centres, contrary to the council's previous claims that no such statement was made.
The NEA responded after Mr Singh, a Workers' Party MP for Aljunied GRC, put out a media release on behalf of the town council, saying it had "duly carried out its responsibilities as required" in the cleaning of hawker centres.
He also said there was no need for the NEA to have sent the town council a formal notice on Friday reminding it of its legal obligations.
The dispute follows a report in The Sunday Times last week about a row between several hawkers and the town council.
Stallholders from two food centres in Bedok had said they were told by the town council that they would have to pay extra for scaffolding to be erected for scheduled clean-ups, whereas they never had to pay in the past.
Hawkers from Block 538 Bedok North Street 3 Food Centre complained that its ceiling was not washed when it closed for a spring cleaning in early March.
The town council subsequently sent a letter to The Straits Times Forum Page saying it could not clean the ceiling because there was no scaffolding, which it had been told would be provided by the hawkers' association.
Yesterday, Mr Singh said that the town council cleaned the high areas of hawker centres last year and so had fulfilled its duties.
He also noted that NEA's notice on Friday had stipulated that the cleaning of high areas needed to be done annually, and not every quarter.
Mr Singh reiterated that "no authorised town council staff told any hawker or anyone of any additional charges to be imposed for the cleaning".
Within hours, the NEA issued its statement refuting his claims.
It said that the high areas at Block 538 were not cleaned because the town council wanted the hawkers' association to separately pay the council's contractor, ATL Maintenance, for putting up scaffolding.
The hawkers refused, and referred ATL to the town council on Feb 19, less than two weeks before the spring cleaning was scheduled to begin on March 4.
"Despite this being acknowledged by the town council at that point, the scaffolding was not put up on the day of the spring cleaning," said the NEA.
"Mr Singh now says that, since the cleaning of high areas only needed to be done once a year, it did not plan to do so in March because such cleaning was already done last year. However, our record shows the town council also did not provide scaffolding for this centre's cleaning last year."
The NEA also released a letter dated May 8, written by the association representing stallholders at Block 511 Kaki Bukit Market and Food Centre. Addressed to the area's MP, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, it said that stallholders were told by a Mr Tai from the town council that they would have to pay for cleaning of areas above 2.5m.
The NEA identified the man they referred to as Mr Tai Vie Shun, the town council's property manager.
Said NEA: "The sequence of events and documents clearly show that the AHPETC's claim that 'no authorised town council staff told any hawker or anyone of any additional charges to be imposed for the cleaning' is false."
The town council had also taken issue with NEA's notice on Friday, reminding it of its legal obligations. Mr Singh said it had wanted to meet the NEA on Friday but the agency rescheduled the meeting to June 6.
The NEA said yesterday it did not want to meet on May 31 as originally proposed by AHPETC because the council wanted to exclude hawkers from the meeting.
"NEA strongly advises AHPETC not to compromise public hygiene and safety," it added.
Last night, The Sunday Times learnt that market representatives of the Block 511 and Block 538 centres are preparing to petition against the charging of scaffolding fees for the spring cleaning of the centres by the town council.
They started collecting signatures from hawkers on Friday night and have about 70 signatures so far.
NEA sends formal notice to Aljunied town council
It issues reminder on cleaning of common areas
By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2013
It issues reminder on cleaning of common areas
By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 1 Jun 2013
THE National Environment Agency (NEA) has sent a formal notice to Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), reminding it of its legal obligations, after it failed to do a thorough cleaning of a market and food centre in Bedok.
The advisory issued yesterday to the Workers' Party (WP)-led town council stated that under Section 18 (1) of the Town Councils Act, town councils are responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of all common property, including markets and hawker centres.
It noted that since the 2003 Sars outbreak, all town councils have been expected to do spring cleaning of Housing Board-owned markets and hawker centres under their charge.
The NEA, which has had a coordinating role in the spring cleaning of these hawker centres since 2004, said town councils must "carry out a thorough cleaning" of all common areas including drains, columns, floors and fans. "The ceilings, beams and exhaust ducts are to be cleaned at least once a year during major spring cleanings," said the NEA note, released to the media.
The NEA reminded the town council that it must bear costs of the cleaning, including the erection of scaffolding, "without any additional charges" as it collects monthly service and conservancy fees from stallholders.
It added that the town council will be held accountable for any hygiene or public health lapses under the Environment and Public Health Act.
The agency's reminder yesterday came after stallholders of Block 538, Bedok North Street 3 returned to their stalls after a five-day closure in March to find that ceiling and exhaust ducts had not been cleaned. Ten stallholders there said they each paid $140 to their committee chairman in March for canvas covers for their stalls during the clean-up.
They also said they were told by AHPETC that it was not responsible for the ceiling cleaning.
Stallholders at two other food markets and food centres in Aljunied GRC said they, too, were told by AHPETC that they must pay for the erection of scaffolding in order for AHPETC's contracted cleaners to clean the high areas. These centres are at Blocks 511 of Bedok North Street 3 and Block 630 of Bedok Reservoir Road.
All three market and food centres are being maintained by FM Solutions and Services (FMSS), the AHPETC's managing agent.
The row between the stallholders and AHPETC came amid a war of words between the WP and the People's Action Party (PAP) in Parliament last month over managing agent rates.
In the case of the Block 538 centre, AHPETC admitted it had not cleaned the ceilings and exhaust ducts.
Mr Yeo Soon Fei, its deputy general manager, later wrote to The Straits Times Forum to say that it was told by the NEA in February that the hawker association there would be making the scaffolding arrangements.
But "for reasons unknown", the structures were not provided for, said Mr Yeo.
The NEA responded, stating that "all town councils have always been responsible for paying contractors to erect scaffolding where required to clean walls".
The NEA also noted yesterday that the cleaning contractor had provided scaffolding for Block 511 during last year's spring cleaning exercise, while scissor lifts were used during the spring cleaning of Block 630, Bedok Reservoir Road.
Mr Wan Khow Wai, 62, who runs a cooked food stall at Block 511, said: "All this while, the town council would clean the ceilings and exhaust ducts and we never had to pay extra."
At another food centre maintained by AHPETC - Block 209, Hougang Street 21 - its committee chairman Lau Meng Chye said that for its cleaning next week, AHPETC told him that stallholders must pay to erect scaffolding as its cleaners will not clean areas above 2.5m. But because it did not issue a letter stating this formally, the 53-year-old has cancelled the scaffolding plans.
The town council did not reply to The Straits Times' queries last week.
A Straits Times check with 30 stallholders from markets and food centres managed by the other 15 town councils islandwide found all saying that they have never had to pay for the erection of scaffolding so that their town councils' cleaners can clean the high areas.
Hawker Raymond Tan, 56, a snack seller at 50A Marine Terrace Market for more than 30 years, said: "Cleaning is carried out by the town council on a quarterly basis. Twice a year, the cleaners will clean the ceiling and fans. We've never had to pay any fees for such major cleaning."
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