KILLER LITTER

KILLER LITTER

27.

Mr Ong Ah Heng asked the Minister for National Development what is the progress of the stepped up actions undertaken by HDB and the Town Councils to deal with killer litter in housing estates and how does the Ministry deal with such offences committed by the young and elderly.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Potential killer litter objects pose a serious danger in HDB estates.

To address this problem, HDB and Town Councils have stepped up their public education efforts and enforcement actions. In the area of public education, HDB and Town Councils will redouble their efforts to highlight to residents the dangers of potential killer litter and the penalties that could be imposed for such offences. HDB and Town Councils will also encourage residents to proactively play their part in keeping HDB estates safe from killer litter. Over the next few months, they will continue to systematically comb through all HDB estates to identify flats with potential killer litter objects.

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These residents will be advised to remove or reposition these objects as soon as possible. Our efforts have the support of religious organisations such as the Singapore Buddhist Federation, the Singapore Taoist Federation and the Thai Buddhist Temple. They have reminded their devotees not to endanger the safety of others when carrying out their religious practices, eg, by hanging their altars in a dangerous position.

To complement these public education efforts, HDB and Town Councils will take stern action against residents who persist in putting out potential killer litter and refuse to take them down. I am pleased to inform Members that the majority of residents have co-operated with HDB and the Town Councils so far. However, a small minority still refuse to heed the warnings by HDB and the Town Councils. To deter recalcitrant offenders, we will take them to Court. To-date, the Town Councils have taken summons actions against 89 households who have refused to take down objects that were placed in a dangerous position in the common areas. They were fined amounts ranging from $75 to $400.

If they continue to flout the law and endanger the lives of others, HDB may also compulsorily acquire their flats. In all instances of killer litter offences, including those committed by the young and elderly, HDB and Town Councils will study the facts of the case and take appropriate action against the offenders.

However, HDB and Town Councils can only do so much to educate residents and to take enforcement actions against recalcitrant offenders. Ultimately, it is up to all HDB residents to act responsibly and ensure that they do not endanger the lives of innocent passer-bys by placing objects in a manner that could result in them falling off and hurting others. If they spot potential killer litter, they can also help by informing the households concerned to take them down or by notifying the Town Council or HDB Branch Office.

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