Resident's quest for action tied up in red tape
The New Paper 17 Apr 09;
WHO is responsible for the vacant plot of land at Circuit Link? Why is no one doing anything about the 'mini-jungle' that has sprouted there?
Mr Yau Sow Loon, 76, wanted answers to his questions but ran into a brick wall for the past two years.
As recently as 26 Mar, when The New Paper visited the vacant plot next to MacPherson Secondary School, parts of it was overgrown with waist-high vegetation.
The grass on the other side of a footpath, however, was neatly trimmed and well-maintained.
The unkempt area was strewn with garbage, such as plastic cups, food wrappers and even large sheets of plastic.
Said Mr Yau: 'The area looked like a rubbish dump.'
He added that people used to play soccer there, but now 'no one ever does.'
Mr Yau, who believes that the place has been overgrown for about three years, said that he used to pass the area every morning as part of his daily walk.
But he stopped when his doctor advised him to avoid the area after he was diagnosed with dengue fever on 30 Aug 2007.
Mr Yau believes that he was bitten by a mosquito while walking past the area.
He told The New Paper that over the past two years he had approached several organisations to try to find out who was responsible for the upkeep of the land.
But his inquiries led to a dead end, he said.
The New Paper also faced similar difficulties, having to call several agencies before finding out who was in charge.
Not in charge
When we contacted the Land Management and Maintenance Unit of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), a technical officer said the unit was not in charge of the plot of land.
'The unit has received numerous complaints about the land, including a complaint from the National Environment Agency (NEA), but we are not responsible for the upkeep of the land,' he said.
He said the unit is responsible only for the upkeep of state land and this piece of land is not state land.
The NEA confirmed it had lodged a complaint with HDB's land management unit but had been told that it was not responsible for the upkeep.
After checks, NEA found out that the land is under the care of HDB's housing administration department and alerted it about the land.
Ms Chu Pei Yee, a senior executive public relations officer at HDB, said: 'The land was being used as a temporary site office for a Land Transport Authority contractor for the past six years.
'HDB is in the process of handing over the land to Marine Parade Town Council.'
She added that HDB has responded to NEA's complaint about the overgrown vegetation and was sprucing up the area.
When The New Paper visited the area on Tuesday, the overgrown vegetation had been cleared and workers were laying out new grass.
The litter had also been removed.
According to the workers, work began on 6 Apr and will be completed by the end of this week.
A NEA spokesman said that checks conducted this January did not reveal any evidence of mosquito breeding in the area.
Mr Yau said: 'The land needs to be maintained for the safety of those who have to pass by on their daily commute, especially the students of MacPherson Secondary School.'
Thanking The New Paper for helping him resolve the matter, he added: 'Now that the land is cleared, I am happy. I finally have peace of mind.'
Naveen Kanagalingam, newsroom intern
