STATE OF UNDERGROUND PIPES, CABLES
A burst water pipe along Upper Serangoon Road recently caused traffic jams and road diversions.
There have been a number of such cases recently, including those in Boscombe Road, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok.
It makes one wonder about the state of our underground gas and water pipes, as well as cables.
Unlike above-ground pipes and cables where corrosion, leaks and cracks can be spotted, the conditions of our extensive network of underground pipes and cables seem to be forgotten until an incident happens.
Is it time for the authorities to perform a comprehensive maintenance and renewal programme?
Gabriel Cheng Kian Tiong
GO BACK TO ROOTS OF HAW PAR VILLA
The news report on Haw Par Villa saddened me (Peep into Haw Par Villa's death museum; Oct 28).
It stated that the aim is to expose visitors to Asia's death rituals, funerary practices and various religious beliefs on the afterlife. There are also plans to build mock tombs there.
It will give the visitors the impression that the theme of the park is death.
While the original park certainly exposed visitors to the 10 Courts of Hell, the Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist Aw Boon Haw's idea for the park was for it to be a venue of Chinese culture where the local Chinese and Chinese from all over the world can learn and appreciate their culture .
Lee Woon Kwang ( Dr)
RESTORE CONSERVATION BUILDING
Many conservation buildings in Singapore have been restored to keep their heritage value and to give them a new lease of life.
But the four-storey conservation building in Balestier Road, consisting of eight shophouses (house numbers 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338, 340 and 342) on the ground floor and 24 apartments above the shophouses, has been left unrestored.
Surely, the authorities can force the ownersto renovate and maintain their units, so that the building can be restored to its past glory.
Ong Khin Oon
RELIGIOUS LEADERS NEED TO SPEAK UP AGAINST TERRORISM
One of the key objectives of the inter-faith dialogue is to rally Singaporeans together and to focus on protecting Singapore's interests against extremists.
To be more effective in doing this, leaders of each respective faith need to stand up and denounce acts of extremism whenever it rears its ugly head, be it in Singapore or in other parts of the world, just like what some of our top government leaders do.
When leaders of the flock rise and speak to "their sheep", the sheep hear and hear with clarity.
Florence Veronica Minjoot (Ms)
EVERYONE'S ROLE IN ROAD BEHAVIOUR
Drivers and pedestrians in Singapore need to exercise more common sense and grace on the roads and sidewalks (What happened to gracious driving?; Oct 23).
Jaywalking is becoming a common sight. And it is not just the elderly who are doing it.
Risky behaviour can also be observed in carparks where parents stroll around casually pushing their toddlers in prams, and children speed around on their three-wheelers.
Users of personal mobility devices are also posing serious problems.
They speed across zebra crossings and traffic lights, weave in and out of lanes on the road, and some even alternate between pedestrian path and road.
Motorists, too, need to exercise grace and consideration.
It will help a great deal if all road users exercise some patience.
Leong Choon Kit (Dr)
