Eunos residents protest against HDB’s lift upgrading programme
Written by Our Correspondent
Some Eunos residents have protested against HDB’s lift upgrading programme in their estate by crossing out all the four options given to them during a meeting over the weekend with HDB.
They are flat owners in Blocks 411, 415 and 417 in Eunos Road 5. The new lift shafts built as part of a lift upgrading programme last year ended up blocking their flats from sunlight and wind, making their homes dark and hot.
The residents had taken issue with the layout and location of the new lifts when the plan was first revealed in 2006.
Despite having numerous discussions with their MP Dr Ong Seh Hong, the impasse remains unresolved.
HDB has proceeded to build the lifts with the new lift shafts becoming an eyesore in the vicinity. They are still uncompleted due to objection from the residents.
During a meeting last Saturday morning with HDB, some of the residents surrounded HDB’s deputy director of upgrading programmes management Chee Kheng Chye last Saturday morning, firing questions at him.
The questions included why the lift shaft was built blocking most of the front door and one bedroom unit, when in a brochure given out to residents, the lift shaft had appeared different on the floor plan. The diagram, explained Mr Chee, is schematic and not drawn to scale.
Residents said the suggested changes were too minor to make a real difference.
This is not the first time that HDB’s lift upgrading programme has become embroiled in controversy.
A wheelchair-bound man by the name of Ryman Lim wrote in to TODAY last week complaining that the design of the new lifts at his Clementi flat is not wheelchair-friendly at all as all residents still have to climb up or down a half-flight of stairs to get from the corridor to the lift.
He got a cool response from HDB when he tried to feedback his case to them:
“When I approached the HDB, I did not expect such an indifferent response from them. The HDB insisted that the residents voted for a lift landing of this design, and the vote was final, with no special consideration to be given to wheelchair-bound residents like myself,” he wrote.
[Source: TODAY's Voices, 5 November 2009]
The same deputy director Chee Kheng Chye replied three weeks later on 26 November 2009 that “there is a small number of blocks where direct lift access is not possible due to site or technical constraints.”
He ended his letter without offering any concrete help or support for the stranded resident:
“We empathize with Mr Lim’s situation, and seek his understanding on the LUP solution implemented for his block.”
[Source: TODAY's Voices, 26 November 2009]
Lift upgrading programme was introduced to rectify an earlier design flaw by HDB whose lifts do not stop on every level.
The upgrading will only go ahead if 80 per cent of the residents living in the precinct voted for it. For some strange reasons, few estates have rejected the lift upgrading programme so far.
The government will pay the bulk of the upgrading with the residents chipping in the rest, usually ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than ten thousand dollars.
The Lift upgrading programme is often used by the ruling party to threaten Singaporeans to vote for them during the elections.
Residents living in opposition-held wards like Hougang and Potong Pasir have been denied essential upgrading of their flats for many years until lately.
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Democracy rising on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:21 am
Was this news published in MSM? Or as usual, it did NOT get pass the political “Board of Censors”?
The LUP saga continued to be hotly-politicised and irritating to residents even in Pappies secured ward like Geylang.
This is how far the political dogs inside MND have lost touch with commoners with their usual twirls, turns, spins and political witchcraft practice if all else fails.
btan on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:32 am
LUP is another action that is trying to address yet another mistake made by the government regarding lift designs. What makes the powers that be at that time to think that lift need not stop at every level, is beyond me.
Do these people go to office where the lift do not stop at every level?
smallyfly on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:52 am
terminate and close-down hdb!!! as simple as that!!!! wasting taxpayer’s money!!!!! a bunch of idiotic imbeciles!!!!!!
kuku on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 11:43 am
haha pappies losing control of the ground, election victory will go to opposition at next GE for sure!!!
SINGAPOREANS WAKE UP, VOTE FOR CHANGE, VOTE OPPOSITION
Newtype on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 1:38 pm
It was in ST first.
The Sane and The INsane Thing about LUP is like "Landings UP " to the Upgraded Lift!!!... on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 1:51 pm
This following enlarge non-MS-Silverlight PDF version file will give you a good idea of how ’smart’ and smug hdb and TC of Clementi has been in their replies to compliants by an earlier wheel-chair bound person who live at Blk 340 in Ave 5 after LUP.
From Voices Nov 30 at http://www.todayonline.com:
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/pdf/20091130/3011VOC022.pdf.
Please also go Voices in TODAY on Nov 26 for HDB’s reply to the original letter of Nov 5. Note that it took HDB @!days or 3 weeks to create their CRAFTY Reply which got queried by another eader today Nov 30!…
What a load of HDB rubbish typical of pappy culture yah!!!…
Is the Nov 26 HDB reply the Anti-Thesis of Old Pappy’s ‘thesis’ that endless bluffs/lies will be good for a nations people at-large!!!???… If you do not know what is this… below is repeat quote yet again for your benefit…
QUOTE
Joseph Goebbels, the spin doctor of Nazi Germany once said:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
UNQUOTE
We must keep reminding Singaporeans that bluffs are just that bluffs… Call them by a diffrent like lies and their purposes are still the same. Just like whatever name you give to your pet dog… it is still a dog right!!!
Seriously on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 3:10 pm
After dilution of some aweful truths in details and a good spin to make it comical of those protesting??
Bird Talk on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 3:28 pm
Why HDB didn’t provide the lift space in the original plan long b4? Now, its HDBs fault.
fpc on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 3:45 pm
The way I see is that there is also this possibility:
So much shit – monies lost – that the foot soldiers (the ones at the front line) are made to say ridiculous things in the hope of appeasing the public which they hope to continue to be stupid.
That’s why the material they choose for all these upgrading are not good material as highlighted by an opposition mp and even theonlinecitizen.com
With a strong currency, we should expect to get good value for monies for these lift purchase but we didn’t.
We always get a scale-down version that only solve the problem for a short while.
A lot of shit is brewing behind the scene.
Taiwan can take a crap like Chen for 8 years without collapsing. We definitely can take on LHL.
The question is why let him fool around somemore?
Do we need him to stage a gun incident like Chen to keep voting him?
XIIIblackcat on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 7:41 pm
“The upgrading will only go ahead if 80 per cent of the residents living in the precinct voted for it.”
TR, correction. It should be 70% of the votes.
Seriously. HDB can be real lame. Why must all HDB flats be upgraded with a lift? Especially those that have all the weird design, which make one very unpractical. Lifts, that block up sunlight/ wind, directly infront of the front door. A tic for tac basically. Not everyone want and need a lift, and not all blocks should and must be upgraded.
Red Herring 6.5m on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:20 pm
TR, may i know should it be ” A Few Eunos residents protest against HDB…”?
Why i ask is because it would be Uncharacteristic of singaporeans to Protest .
Citizen on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 4:38 am
Red Herring, I do agree that Singaporeans are not in the habit of protesting. But if they are pushed too far into a corner, see what happens.
Viper on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 12:23 pm
I personally went down to the site and was shocked with what I saw …
When all the talkings go to how residents will benefit from this lift upgrading … Is it fair to the affected unit owners ?
Hdb In fact told Ryman Lim of Clementi Blk 340 Ave 5... on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 1:49 pm
Those who are not happy can look for another flat elswhere. Not the exact words but this was in Mr. Lim’s letter of nov 5 to HDB in TODAY as no article was published on his case and obviously we know why.
Can Admin clarify this please. Thank you
No One Will Be Left Behind- http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 5:01 pm
Extracted the below from TODAYonline
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091126-0000059/Direct-lift-access-not-always-possible–HDB
Was at AMK just now and noticed that the HDB blocks [620 series], which are of ‘door-to-door’ types has 5 lifts after LUP to cater for each ‘door-to-door’ apartments.
Was also informed that AMK Blk 175 , also door-to-door’ design has 6 lifts after LUP.
Was also told that blocks at Bedok of ‘door-to-door’ design also have LUP done with lifts at every floor.
–No One Will Be Left Behind–http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html
No One Will Be Left Behind- http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 7:18 pm
This HDB Deputy Director Chee Kheng Chye quite famous liao.
One can find his story in ST Forum, TODAYonline Forum, HWZ CAL Forum, TR n TOC.
–No One Will Be Left Behind–http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html
MP incharge of Clementi Ave 5 - 'SUPER ACT BLUR' on Sat, 5th Dec 2009 11:09 pm
Who is the MP incharge of Clementi Ave 5?
He ‘SUPER ACT BLUR’ on the Clementi LUP half landing case.
Never even ‘hear’ tt he went down to help tt disabled resident.
WHY MP NOWADAYS LIKE THIS HUH?
KEEP THE 'CLEMENTI AVE 5' N 'EUNOS' LUP ALIVECV on Sun, 6th Dec 2009 3:50 am
Dear Administrator,
DO KEEP THE ‘CLEMENTI AVE 5′ N ‘EUNOS’ LUP ALIVE, especially the Clementi case.
NOT A SINGLE ‘SOUND’ WAS HEARD FROM THE MP ncharge of Clementi Ave 5.
In future as more residents from the ‘half-landing’ LUP blocks at Clementi, cant climb the stairs, is HDB gg to ask them to shift house, like they asked Mr Lim.
The ‘terrible’ reply for both cases from HDB Deputy Director, Chee Kheng Chye IS NOT ACCEPTABLE’
Man On Wheelchair on Sun, 6th Dec 2009 12:32 pm
Admin of TR,
YES YES
Keep the Clementi Ave 5 and Eunos LUP story ‘alive’ in TR.
The Clementi case is 1 month 1 day old n we dint hear a ’squeak’ from his MP.
HDB has already shown their ‘colour’ with their -
” We empathise with Mr Lim’s situation, and seek his understanding on the LUP solution implemented for his block. ”
G
Man On Wheelchair on Sun, 6th Dec 2009 1:35 pm
Quote -
” HDB has proceeded to build the lifts with the new lift shafts becoming an eyesore in the vicinity. They are still uncompleted due to objection from the residents.”
In the above case, it looks like HDB ignoring residents’ comments/inputs, ENDING UP COSTING MORE TAX PAYERS MONEY to complete the LUP ‘cos of the delay/work stoppages.