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Tag: SengKang

  • Hairline Cracks Found, 11 Sengkang-Punggol LRT Trains Withdrawn From Service

    Hairline Cracks Found, 11 Sengkang-Punggol LRT Trains Withdrawn From Service

    Hairline cracks have been found on 11 first-generation Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) trains, SBS Transit and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a joint statement on Friday (Sept 9).

    The trains were withdrawn from service as a precautionary measure after the discovery of the defects during SBS Transit’s fleet-wide inspection in July. Six of the trains have been repaired and returned to service.

    The remaining five are expected to be reinstated by the middle of next month.

    The cracks were found on the bogie frames of the trains and do not compromise its weight bearing property, said the statement. One of the core functions of the bogie frame is to support the guidance system of the trains.

     

    Location of crack on bogie frame:

    An independent assessor, TUV Rheinland, and the manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI) had separately assessed that the defects are not safety-critical, the statement added.

    Friday’s news came about two months after Hong Kong news agency FactWire broke the news that 26 China-made SMRT trains hairline cracks were found to have hairline cracks and would be sent back in batches to their manufacturer’s plant in China for repairs.

    An LTA spokesperson said checks by SBS Transit were “intensified” after the discovery of cracks on the Kawasaki-Sifang MRT trains operated by SMRT. “The latest checks concluded that there are no new discovery of cracks on the other lines. The operators will continue to carry out regular inspections on all train components,” she said in response to TODAY’s queries.

    The FactWire report on the SMRT train defects, which was published in early July, sparked a public outcry. Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan had described the cracks on the SMRT trains – the first of which was discovered in July 2013 – as a routine matter that had been “mis-spun into a controversy”. He added that had the hairline cracks found on the trains compromised safety or service availability, the authorities would have released the information “immediately”.

    While SMRT did not withdraw the affected trains from service before they were sent for repairs, in order to minimise disruption to train operations, SBS Transit said it immediately pulled the affected trains from service as it had adequate capacity to keep operations going.

    A sample of the affected bogie frame has been sent to MHI’s research and development centre in Japan to determine the cause. When contacted, an MHI spokesperson said it is unable to comment as a detailed analysis is being carried out.

    The affected trains have been operating since the SPLRT was launched in 2003. There are a total of 57 trains in the SPLRT fleet and a maximum of 36 trains are deployed at any one time, SBS Transit and LTA said. The operator has been inspecting all its LRT trains on a weekly basis for any new defects.

    SBS Transit and LTA said they are working with MHI to “redesign, strengthen and replace” the bogie frame structures on all 57 trains. They added: “The detailed improvement timeline is being worked out and MHI will bear the replacement costs.”

    The LTA spokesperson said there was no need to ship the affected trains back to Japan as the rectification works were “less complex” as compared to the works to rectify the hairline cracks on the 26 SMRT trains.

    Mountbatten Member of Parliament Lim Biow Chuan, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for transport noted that the Government was more transparent in sharing information about the latest discovery of hairline cracks.

    The defects of the 26 SMRT trains had “caused quite a bit of alarm” among the public as to whether there was a cover-up, he noted.

    “Having learnt a precious lesson that if you don’t tell people, people (will) speculate and attribute all sorts of unsubstantiated comments about why (the) trains are being brought back,” said Mr Lim. “So to avoid any kind of speculation, then I think (LTA and SBS Transit) felt that in this case (it would be) better to tell… although they assessed (the hairline cracks) not to be a major issue.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Buang Tatu, Nasihat Guaman, Antara Program Bantu Pesalah Dadah Pulang Ke Masyarakat

    Buang Tatu, Nasihat Guaman, Antara Program Bantu Pesalah Dadah Pulang Ke Masyarakat

    Bekas pesalah dadah akan mendapat bantuan untuk berintegrasi kembali ke dalam masyarakat.

    Persatuan Anti Narkotik Singapura (SANA) menubuhkan sebuah pusat sebagai projek perintis pada Januari tahun lalu dan akan dilancarkan minggu depan.

    Para kaunselor di Step-Up Centre di Sengkang akan menilai keperluan bekas pesalah.

    Menurut SANA, antara cabaran utama bagi bekas pesalah dadah termasuk mencari pekerjaan dan mendapat bantuan kewangan.

    “Antara program yang akan kami adakan di sini adalah program untuk meningkatkan keupayaan mereka dari segi kemahiran. Salah satu adalah kemahiran untuk menggunting rambut. Di mana program ini akan menyediakan latihan percuma untuk mereka yang berminat. Dan setelah itu mereka akan diberikan peluang pekerjaan bersama syarikat yang memberikan latihan itu,” kata salah seorang kaunselor SANA Mohd Fahmi Ahmad Abu Bakar.

    Mereka yang memerlukan bantuan kewangan pula akan mendapat kad Kopitiam dan Ez-Link bernilai $20.

    Bantuan lain termasuk program membuang tatu bersubsidi dan konsultasi undang-undang percuma berkenaan isu seperti hak penjagaan anak.

    “Nampak ada program membuang tatu, jadi saya sertai. Kemudian dua kali sebulan, nak kena datang kaunseling untuk buang tatu,” salah seorang bekas penagih dadah memberitahu BERITAMediacorp.

    Pusat tersebut menerima 339 kes tahun lalu dan dijangka bertambah kepada lebih 500 kes tahun ini.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • AVA Investigating Possible Sale Of Adulterated Prawns In Sengkang Wet Market

    AVA Investigating Possible Sale Of Adulterated Prawns In Sengkang Wet Market

    The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is investigating a complaint about a substance found in the heads of prawns purchased from a Sengkang wet market last week.

    It is looking into whether the sale weight of the crustaceans was artificially increased by injecting gelatin in them.

    The 40-year-old woman who bought them, who wanted to be known only as Madam Huang, discovered the translucent blobs while cleaning 25 prawns she had bought from a stall at Rivervale Plaza.

    After she placed the prawns in boiling water, the blobs hardened into a solid white “rubber-like” substance, she told The Straits Times.

    Alarm bells rang as she had recently read an online article about seafood suppliers in Vietnam who inject prawns with gelatin-like chemicals to increase their weight to sell them at a higher price.

    The Singapore permanent resident, who moved here from Guangdong, China, said in Mandarin: “In my home town, it is common for suppliers to illegally inject substances into prawns and sotongs. That is why I noticed the blobs.”

    It was her first time encountering “abnormal” prawns.

    Prawns in Singapore are sourced from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

    An AVA spokesman said: “As part of AVA’s food safety programme, imported prawns and shrimp (fresh or frozen) are monitored and sampled for food safety and compliance with our standards and requirements.”

    Its sampling tests cover a wide range of chemical contaminants and microbiological hazards, including pesticide residues, drug residues such as antibiotics and hormones, and microbial hazards such as salmonella.

    “Food products that fail our inspections and tests will not be allowed for sale and enforcement action will be taken,” the spokesman added. This includes the destruction of the product, licence suspension and import restriction.

    The stallholder who sold Madam Huang the prawns told Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao that he had bought the prawns from wholesalers, and it was the first time this had happened in more than 10 years of running his business.

    Mr Lee Boon Cheow, president of the Singapore Fish Merchants’ General Association, said he had not heard of such a case here.

    Supermarket chain FairPrice said: “We wish to assure our customers that we work closely with AVA on this matter and do not stock any food that has not been approved by the authorities.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Move To Ease Traffic Congestion In Punggol, Sengkang, To Kick In End-September

    Move To Ease Traffic Congestion In Punggol, Sengkang, To Kick In End-September

    From end September, drivers entering Sengkang and Punggol towns from Tampines Expressway (TPE) can enjoy smooth travel, even during peak hours, according to the Pasir Ris-Punggol and Punggol East Grassroots Organisations and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (Aug 28).

    Over the past year, residents have complained about the bottleneck in traffic at the Sengkang-Punggol exit, which was the result of two bus lanes that opened in 2014. The bus lanes serve two bus stops and 11 bus services, while motorists currently travel on the other two lanes.

    The bottleneck issue was brought up to the Chairperson of the Public Transport and Traffic Committee for Punggol North Loke Choon Wai, and Chairman of the Punggol East Citizens’ Consultative Committee Raymond Lye.

    “When the bus stop opened in August last year, I think what became apparent very soon was that the traffic flow changed, because there were two dedicated bus lanes and there were two car lanes,” said Mr Lye. “So when the bus stop opened, I think the bus users were very happy because the bus stop was generally clear all the time for the buses, so the buses had a very smooth journey.

    “But for the car owners, they realised that the traffic flow became worse. Jams started to build up, and during peak periods the jam could go all the way back to the KPE exit into the TPE.”

    Mr Lye went on to explain that they had received feedback that the bus lanes were sometimes relatively empty while motorists faced congestion in the other two lanes during peak hour.

    “I think some of the car owners got a little bit frustrated when they were caught in the jam, and they started driving into the bus lane,” he said, adding that when there appeared to be more unhappiness when traffic enforcers took photos of motorists who drove through the bus lanes.

    “It’s like, ‘look, the car lanes are congested, the bus lanes are empty, so when I use the bus lanes, I’m not causing any congestion for the buses, so why are you doing this?’” said Mr Lye.

    After months of discussions with the LTA, motorists will be able to travel on the outer bus lane, although they must still give way to buses when on this lane. The lane will feature a second Mandatory Give-Way To Bus road marking.

    This will benefit buses exiting the first bus stop at the exit, before they continue straight on to TPE or turn right towards Punggol Town. It is expected to ease traffic congestion, and ensure commuters can continue enjoying smooth rides while travelling on public transport.

    Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Vice Chairman of Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council Janil Puthucheary, who lobbied for the enhancements to improve traffic at the exit, welcomed the approval of the proposed solution.

    “This new bus lane enhancement is actually quite useful, because it gives the bus the right and also a path that is clear to bring our residents home,” said Mr Teo.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • New Tender Called For Sengkang Columbarium Site

    New Tender Called For Sengkang Columbarium Site

    A new tender has been called at the Sengkang site originally awarded to a commerical firm to build a Chinese temple housing a columbarium.

    An outcry from residents in the area had led the authorities to terminate the project.

    On Tuesday, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) put up a tender notice for the site at Fernvale Link for the development of a Chinese temple.

    The site, which has an area of 2,000 sq m, will be leased for a term of 30 years.

    The Ministry of National Development (MND) had said in May that the land would be released for re-tender when it signed a mutual termination agreement with Eternal Pure Land, the company which had secured the original bid.

    Tender documents uploaded on the HDB website showed that provisions had been put in place to allow only religious groups to bid for the land.

    “To qualify for participation in this Tender, the Tenderer must be established or constituted for the advancement of religion,” said the documents.

    For-profit companies have been excluded from the tender. Only registered societies, charities and non-profit companies can qualify.

    The tender closes on Aug 4.

    The previous tender had been awarded to Eternal Pure Land, a commercial company that planned to build a temple and commercial columbarium on the land.

    After residents in Build-To-Order flats around the development complained about the land going to a commercial entity, MND terminated the previous tender agreement, and refunded the company the $5.2 million it had paid for the land.

    The ministry also released a small plot of land along Tampines Road, zoned for cemetery use, to the company for a “pilot project” for columbarium services.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com