Some food for thought

Foodies must be disappointed with the impending closure of the popular People’s Park Food Centre in Chinatown for repairs and redecoration. It will reopen after June. Despite the prospect of being deprived of its delicious offerings over the next few months, many patrons reckon the upgrading is long overdue. The bustling food centre near Chinatown MRT station is showing signs of age. There are clogged drains, grimy floors and dim interiors. Sightings of rats and cockroaches are frequent. Pigeons scrabble over the leftovers.

According to the Jalan Besar Town Council, major works include replacement of the tables and stools, retiling of the floors and walls, removal of the false ceilings and down lights, replacement of lights, repainting, and upgrading of toilets. Periodic refreshing of hawker centres through repairs and redecoration work is carried out every six to eight years, says the National Environment Agency. The last upgrading exercise for the People’s Park Food Centre was carried out in 2016, less than a decade ago and which covered the period of the Covid-19 pandemic when dining out was not allowed.