The newly elected Sengkang GRC MPs from the Workers' Party (WP) have informed the Ministry of National Development (MND) that they intend to run the new Sengkang Town Council on its own, without merging with any other constituency.
In a Facebook post yesterday to update residents on developments, WP's Sengkang team leader He Ting Ru also said she would chair the new town council.
She noted that her team had written to both Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) and Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) on July 11 to request a preliminary meeting to discuss the handover.
The Anchorvale ward in the new GRC is currently managed by AMKTC, while the Punggol East and Sengkang Central areas are overseen by PRPTC.
Last Wednesday, the WP team made a specific request for copies of the contracts for managing agent services and use of town council management software to be provided to them as soon as possible, Ms He said.
"PRPTC, whom we understand to be coordinating the handover with AMKTC, suggested a virtual meeting on Friday, July 17," she added.
The lawyer said her team repeated their request for copies of the contracts at the virtual meeting last Friday. They also asked for an in-person meeting soon to further discuss the handover and get a briefing on operational matters relating to both town councils.
In a Facebook post last night, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary said both PRPTC and AMKTC are ready to carry out a smooth handover, as soon as Sengkang Town Council (SKTC) is ready.
"There is an established process prescribed by MND for such handovers, and we will facilitate this to make it as smooth as possible," he added. "Our initial contact had been through individuals who were not the elected SKTC members, and we had requested that the discussion should be with the SKTC chairman and duly appointed team."
He said the matter was sorted out at last Friday's virtual meeting arranged by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) and attended by Ms He, her fellow Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua, WP chairman Sylvia Lim, former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat and an AHTC staff member.
"Ms He e-mailed us on July 18 confirming the point of contact for the process. We have replied to confirm that we will provide her with the requested material on Monday, July 20," he said.
"The SKTC team were not ready to receive the briefing that we offered at the meeting on July 17, but we look forward to discussing the issues at the in-person meeting on July 23."
Ms He, 37, had led a team comprising economics professor Jamus Lim, 44, social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan, 26, and equity research analyst Louis Chua, 33, to victory in the July 10 polls, with 52.12 per cent of the votes in Sengkang.
In another Facebook post last night, Ms He announced the division of MPs in the GRC, and details of Meet-the-People Sessions. She is the MP for Buangkok ward in Sengkang. Associate Professor Lim takes charge of Anchorvale, with Ms Raeesah and Mr Chua overseeing Compassvale and Rivervale respectively.
Ms He also noted that some Sengkang residents have been calling the AHTC to report estate matters.
She told residents that they should still report estate matters and pay service and conservancy charges to AMKTC and PRPTC until further notice, as these town councils are still in charge of managing the HDB estates in Sengkang.
