MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1974 TO 31ST MARCH, 1975

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]

Head LI -

Mr N. Govindasamy: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head LI be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1107.

Sir, some two years ago when the Ministry of Health was responsible for the Hawkers Department, it requested the Planning Department to requisition building developers, especially in the Central Business District, to provide for sufficient canteen facilities in large office buildings. This is a right move. Sir, you may be aware that in the Shenton Way area and in the other parts of the Central Business District, a number of mammoth buildings are springing up. During the lunch break thousands of office workers can be seen hunting for meals within their means, as the canteens required by the Planning Department are not yet operating in these large high-rise office blocks. There are, of course, in these office blocks posh restaurants which begin operation as soon as possible. But office workers cannot afford to patronise these restaurants.

Sir, is the Planning Department's requirements for canteen space for workers in high-rise office buildings adhered to by the developers? If they are, then as soon as even partial occupation takes place, the canteen facilities must be made available. If the Planning Department's requirement is not adhered to, why not? Sir, in the Shenton Way area many of these buildings are partially occupied, and if the planned facilities for reasonably priced food establishments are not put into operation soon, then it is going to create another social problem.

Mr Barker: Sir, as far as we are aware, all restaurants now in operation in commercial office buildings were approved as restaurants, and I shall be grateful if the Member can let me know the specific cases where approved canteens have been turned into restaurants. The canteens or restaurants in large buildings are operated on a commercial basis. Sometimes the ownership or management of the restaurant or canteen changes hands several times because business is not as good as expected. It is difficult for us to compel the developers or owners of buildings to operate or continue to operate and maintain a canteen if there is not enough business for the canteen, resulting in heavy financial losses.

Mr N. Govindasamy: Sir, I did not say that any canteen has been turned into a restaurant. What I said was that there is a need for canteens in many of these buildings. If he is not careful, then with so many office blocks around Shenton Way, the Minister's own National Development building will very soon be invaded by office workers from Shenton Way, and his own staff will have no place to eat in.

Mr Barker: Sir, that is because the food in the Ministry's canteen is really good. We do not want to keep other workers out.

Mr N. Govindasamy: Sir, before I withdraw, I think this is a serious problem.

Mr Baptist: On a point of elucidation. Sir. At the present moment, food in the restaurants costs more than five times what one has to pay for in the SILO canteen.

Mr Barker: Sir, that is agreed. But it does not mean that we are just encouraging restaurants at the expense of canteens. If a large firm in a large building desires to put up a canteen for its workers, it will naturally have our blessing. In fact, we are encouraging firms to do so. This is the point which the Member for Telok Blangah wants me to answer. I agree with him entirely that more canteens should be provided, but we cannot force people to provide canteens. I think the duty of an employer is to provide a canteen for his workers. Perhaps the Member can persuade the employers through his trade unions to do so.

Mr N. Govindasamy: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $2,002,100 for Head 1.1 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

Head U -

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1107.

Sir, we have introduced parks to serve as lungs for the city, but have we considered our children? What is the use of a park if children cannot make use of them? The park in Seletar Reservoir has excellent facilities for children. Most parks for instance, the one opposite the Istana, the MacRitchie Reservoir, the Peirce Reservoir, the park at Newton, are completely devoid of facilities for children. Where can the children go? We must attract our children to healthy places, like parks, by providing facilities for them to play, rather than discourage them, by planting too many bushes everywhere. Further, the Housing and Development Board should ensure that every available vacant ground in the housing estates be made use for the children's benefit. It is an ancient belief - give the children a place to play, and you end up with healthy and robust citizens. An idle mind in an idle body is a devil's workshop. Housing estates with no playgrounds can only be an ideal breeding ground for drug addicts.

In some parks stone benches have been provided. What use are these if they have no back rests and arm rests? Must the people suffer even while trying to relax?

Planting trees along the road is no doubt good, but I wonder if any effort is being made to check their growth. Some trees are allowed to grow wild along roadsides and buses travelling by the side brush against them. This is a source of danger to passengers travelling in the buses. I quote Napier Road! Holland Road as an example.

Further, some trees are so big that their branches obstruct the street lights. This becomes a source of danger to pedestrians and motorised traffic along the road.

Mr Barker: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson was thinking of his grandchildren! But let me assure him that the Parks and Recreation Division of the PWD is aware of the need to provide amenities for children in our public parks and other open spaces. There are plans to develop playgrounds at the Central Park and Kampung Java Park, and other recreational activities at the East Coast Park to attract not only children but grandfathers like the Member for Anson. However, it is not always possible to construct a playground, specially set aside for children, in every park or open space as this depends on the site, space, location, surrounding and environment. For instance, the Orchard Park opposite the Istana is too small an area to contain a children's playground. The design of this park is primarily aesthetic as well as functional for the benefit and convenience of office workers, shoppers and others, rather than children, who wish to take a rest from their daily activities.

The Housing and Development Board has also provided very extensive sporting and recreational activities in its housing estates. I have said before that when the Housing Board first built flats the emphasis was on housing. But today the picture has changed. We have become more affluent and demands have changed. Before anyone moves into a Housing Board flat, he wants to know which school his children are going to, where they are going to play or swim, or what have you. In almost every neighbourhood today there are properly equipped children's playground, and badminton, basketball and sepak raga courts. In Queenstown a sports complex costing $5 million was built and, in fact, another swimming pool complex costing more than $3 million is now under construction, in addition to the pool which has already been built. In Toa Payoh more than $10 million had been spent on the development of a park, a swimming pool complex and a running track. Another swimming complex costing more than $3 million is now under construction off Mountbatten Road to serve the residents of Mountbatten, Tanjong Rhu and Kallang.

6.45 p.m.

Benches are generally provided with back rests at all public places. In a few parks like those in Bras Basah and Kampung Java, stone benches have been provided. I am told that this is a variation to blend with the landscape design. I am inclined to believe that stone benches were built in order that they could last. Wooden benches do not last as they are easily broken. Anyway, benches with back rests are being constructed in the Central Park and Labrador Park. Many people, of course, visit the parks for a stroll and relaxation for a short duration and do not really sit there for too long. But there are others who sleep on the benches. They are not bothered with the park. They want a place to rest for several hours. This is what we want to discourage. If someone sleeps on a bench for several hours, he is depriving someone else of a seat. He is taking three or four places. Hence, some benches have been built with an obstruction or hump jutting out in the middle so that if a person sleeps on it, he is going to have a crooked back.

I think the Member will agree that the primary purpose of planting trees on the roadside and in other open spaces is to ensure their proper and healthy growth. At the same time, trees require regular pruning and inspection, especially those which are likely to cause obstruction to traffic or street lights. From time to time, a tree poses a hazard to life or property. But when we are aware of this, these trees are pruned, removed or replaced with smaller ones.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Sir, the more we hear and see about the wonderful things being done, such as recreational facilities being provided for the new towns, the more those of us from the rural areas feel that we are being totally neglected. We feel very jealous. While those in urban areas are asking for benches, parks or swimming pools, we from the rural areas have to come here year after year begging for a little bit more money to build roads. We do not even have metalled roads. The contrast is there I am afraid. This is one aspect we should not really overlook at all because the population in the rural areas is still quite large. And I cannot see why all the money is going into the satellite and new towns, when in the meantime we are not even getting enough to build roads.

Mr Barker: Sir, may I first reply to the Member for Jalan Kayu? The fault cannot really be placed on anybody. This is part of the history of Singapore. When this town first came up, it was the central area that was developed. Hence the buildings, and the roads. And slowly development has spread from the central area. Some of the housing estates which the Member referred to were, in fact, rural areas before. Toa Payoh was one big squattered area. But now Toa Payoh has been developed and people are living there quite happily. We do our best to provide these amenities like parks, benches and schools. I do not think the rural areas have been completely left out. Under the Urban and Rural Services, most of the money goes to the rural areas because much more is needed there, and not much has to he done in the urban areas because the urban areas have already been developed. We do our best to spread around the affluence that we have.

The Chairman: I think the Member for Jalan Kayu is struggling against l1istory. This is almost as old as the Bible. The Bible says "To the rich it shall be given. From the poor it shall be taken away." The Chinese equivalent is Tze yu chin shang tien huah nah yu shyer chung sung tang.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Sir, on the point made by the Minister concerning the development of new towns, he said that Toa Payoh used to be a rural area. On the other hand, there are certain rural areas which are resettlement areas, e.g., areas in the Deputy Speaker's constituency. I think the resettlement areas are going to be permanent rural areas. For such permanent rural areas, surely we should do something such as providing some recreational facilities since they are not going to be bulldozed away within the next one or two years. If such resettlement areas are to be designated on a fairly permanent basis as agricultural areas, then I think we ought to give them a bit more recreational facilities. This is my point.

Mr Barker: Sir, we are doing our best to give the rural areas as much as we can. It does not mean to say that Jalan Kayu is going to remain rural forever. To give him an instance, the Housing Board is now building in Woodlands. Why not Jalan Kayu? Why not Lim Chu Kang? The day will come. In other words, may I say that the rural areas will not be permanently rural.

Mr Tay Boon Too: (In Mandarin): Sir, just now the Minister replied to the Member for Anson on the planting of trees by the roadside which entails the employment of workers to look after the trees. Since the Government has to spend so much money on the workers to look after trees and shrubs, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would consider using the money to plant fruit trees instead so that we can enjoy the additional benefit of an income from the fruits. At the same time this income to our country will reduce the expenditure on foreign supplies of fruits. I hope the Minister would consider this suggestion.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong: Sir, I am just wondering whether the Minister is aware that most of the open spaces at Toa Payoh New Town are, in fact, badly water-logged due to very poor sub-soil drainage. Most of these open spaces remain soggy for days after a rainfall. This really defeats the purpose of providing open spaces. The people cannot even run about on a proper turfed area. I was just wondering whether the Minister would look into this because I have spoken to the Housing Board officer many times and I have written in too. So far nothing has been done, and I believe the condition has remained the same for many years. I hope some action could be taken soon.

Mr Barker: Sir, may I deal with the Member for Paya Lebar first? The planting of fruit trees on roads may eventually be implemented. But as a first step, fruit trees are being planted in enclosed open spaces, school grounds, some community centres and mainly in MINDEF camps, which means one cannot steal the fruits. The Parks and Recreation Division has also plans to set up a fruit orchard on an 8-acre site on reclaimed land at the East Coast Park where various types of popular local fruit trees will be grown.

To the Member for Kim Keat, yes, I am aware of the water-logged condition of some parks at Toa Payoh. In fact, when I visited the Games Village during the SEAP Games or around that period, I was surprised to find that after perhaps an hour or two of rain some of the open spaces were flooded and it took some time before the water could seep through. I have already asked the Housing Board to look into it, and I will chase them again on the matter.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, nobody wants to go to the Kampung Java Park because previously it was a cemetery. We have spent so much money on the Park but nobody goes there because they are afraid of devils. The Minister should find out why people do not go to the Kampung Java Park.

Mr Barker: Sir, perhaps our people are superstitious and are reluctant to go to a park which was previously a graveyard. But then people forget. Some people are occupying Housing Board flats which are sited on previous cemeteries. The park itself is in an area which is not heavily populated and, moreover, Farrer Park is just near by. The Farrer Park field, I am glad to say, is packed everyday.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: With the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Tay Boon Too -

(2) That the sum to be allocated for Head LJ be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 3008.

The Chairman: Mr Tay, amendment (2).

Mr Tay Boon Too: I am not moving, Sir.

The sum of $5,566,080 for Head LJ ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $5,598,900 for Head LJ ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Pursuant to a resolution of the House, Mr Deputy Speaker thereupon left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Barker: Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1974 to 31st March, 1975, and ask leave to sit again on Monday, 25th March, 1974.

Mr Deputy Speaker: So be it.