VACANT MARKET PRODUCE AND COOKED FOOD STALLS

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development how many market produce and cooked food stalls respectively have been vacant at the Block 11 Hougang Avenue 3 food centre as at 1st October 2002 and whether the Housing and Development Board has plans to tender out those stalls.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: As at 1st October 2002, there are 42 vacant market produce stalls and five cooked food stalls at Block 11 Hougang Avenue 7 Market/Hawker Centre.

The vacant stalls in this market/hawker centre are reserved for allocation on a temporary basis to stallholders who are affected by closure of their markets/hawker centres under the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP). This will facilitate the smooth implementation of the HUP and help the affected stallholders find alternative vacant stalls to continue their business during the HUP. Hence, HDB has no plans to tender the vacant stalls in the market/hawker centre for rental.