They requested all residents living in the HDB flats at Boon Lay to remove their washing lines strung along the corridors on the grounds that the laundry is unsightly.

They also insisted that many people had complained about the unsightliness of the laundry and thus we should respect these complaints and remove the offending laundry. While this is a small matter of beautifying the environment for the town council, it is a major inconvenience and annoyance in the daily lives of the residents.

Could the town council explain why aesthetics is a good reason to remove these washing lines as compared to convenience and practicality for the residents? Is laundry that is hung out on bamboo poles at the back of the block more aesthetically pleasing than along corridors?

There are several good reasons which should take priority over the council's sense of aesthetics in this instance.

Firstly, it is not an easy task to hang clothes on bamboo poles to dry. It requires a certain amount of strength which would inconvenience the elderly and the disabled, especially when it comes to large items such as bedsheets.

Secondly, in Boon Lay, as in many other older housing estates, most families are middle-sized and above. There is also a significant number of migrant workers here sharing these small three-room units in huge groups. For all the laundry to be put out, as the town council suggests, on the brackets in the kitchen, is virtually impossible. There is simply no space for all the laundry for the dwellers to fit into that little space. Moreover, putting the laundry in the kitchen simply means a longer period for the laundry to dry properly as there is simply no sunlight or sufficient ventilation.

Thirdly, it is still sadly a common thing for residents to spit or throw rubbish out of the windows. I have tried putting my laundry out a few times behind the kitchen and, on occasions, have found the laundry soiled.

Fourthly, what proportion of the population is not happy with the way laundry is being dried now? If more than 50 per cent of the residents expressed unhappiness, then of course civic mindedness would demand that the remaining minority accommodate the majority. But is this really the case?

Ultimately, if it is simply a question of a subjective sense of beauty, it is not acceptable that this should take precedence over the practical needs of the community.

Tan Chui Hua (Ms)