I refer to last Sunday’s article, ‘Sorry, no lift for your floor’, which reported Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu as saying that 200 out of about 5,300 blocks built before 1990 are ineligible for the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP).
The reason these blocks – including the Lorong Ah Soo maisonette block (right) mentioned in the article – are ineligible is that upgrading them would severely bust the cost cap of $30,000 for each unit.
As the $5.5 billion lift upgrading scheme is a nationwide exercise to provide lifts which stop on every floor for Housing Board residents, it should be carried out with impartiality in all wards and for all blocks.
Moreover, $5.5 billion is a large sum and if it is spent wisely, it should be able to cover the costs of lift upgrading for these 200 blocks.
Also, with so many HDB blocks within each ward or constituency, installing or upgrading the lifts can be done at a much lower cost.
The LUP should be viewed from a macro, rather than a micro, perspective, as at least 85 per cent of our population live in HDB flats.
Another issue I wish to raise is the extravagant finishes of some of the upgraded lift lobbies and interiors.
Some of these are comparable to, or even better than, those in private condominiums.
Such expenses are unnecessary. Why not use cheaper materials? Doing so would help reduce the overall costs, and residents need not have to cough up so much money to contribute to such works.
What happens to the service and conservancy fees – which contribute to the sinking funds – that residents have been paying monthly to their town councils?
Town councils are accountable for the monies collected from residents, and should exercise their duty with due diligence, be transparent and save money on unnecessary works.
Michael Yeo
Source: Sunday Times, 8 Nov 2009
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