Planning to visit Choa Chu Kang Cemetery for Qing Ming? Expect large crowds, says NEA
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
NEA said the government-managed cemetery and columbaria will likely be crowded during the Qing Ming Festival, on Good Friday, and weekends from March 18 to April 16.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE - People planning to visit Choa Chu Kang Cemetery and columbaria for Qing Ming should expect large crowds on several key dates, including during the Good Friday weekend.
And those who plan to drive will need to make an e-appointment to park their vehicles at the Choa Chu Kang and Mandai columbaria on stipulated days, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement on Thursday.
To visit Mandai Columbarium, an e-appointment is needed daily from March 18 to April 16 between 6am and 6pm.
Visitors to Choa Chu Kang Columbarium will need to make an e-appointment from 6am to 4pm on April 5, April 7, and at the weekends from March 18 to April 16.
E-appointment slots for two-hour intervals will be available for booking from 10am on March 6 on the NEA website. People who are dropping off passengers will not need to book a slot.
Qing Ming falls on April 5 in 2023 and visitors to Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, and the Choa Chu Kang, Mandai and Yishun columbaria should expect large crowds during the festival period, including the weekends from March 18 to April 16, said NEA.
The statement said: “NEA will put in place crowd control measures at the columbaria during this period and extend the opening hours to 24 hours daily.” Real-time information on traffic conditions at the Mandai and Choa Chu Kang columbaria is available on NEA’s website.
Shuttle bus services will be available on peak days. Drivers who wish to use the service to Mandai Columbarium can park their vehicles near Khatib MRT station before going to the pick-up point at exit A.
Drivers using the shuttle bus service to get to Choa Chu Kang Columbarium can park along the left side of the paths at the Christian Cemetery, at Carpark A in Jalan Bahar or Carpark B in Old Choa Chu Kang Road.
The Garden of Peace – an inland ash-scattering garden at the government-managed Choa Chu Kang Cemetery – will be closed to visitors on weekends between March 18 and April 16. It will also be closed on the day of the Qing Ming Festival on April 5, and on Good Friday, which falls on April 7. This is to give privacy to those with an approved booking for ash scattering, said NEA.
The grass is cut regularly in the common areas of Choa Chu Kang Cemetery but NEA said this does not extend to individual graves and monuments.
The statement said: “Visitors may be approached at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery for payment of grave maintenance service fees. These services are not regulated or endorsed by NEA. Visitors who have not made arrangements for such services are advised not to pay anyone who claims to have maintained the graves of their loved ones.”
For more information, visit NEA’s website.
