More cleaners hired in Tampines after cleaning lapses; town council penalises contractor
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Residents told ST that bins and bulky items took longer than usual to be cleared.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Isabelle Liew and Ho Yoon Sim
- New contractor, Ban Chuan, failed to keep parts of Tampines clean from April 1 due to insufficient workers, leading to uncleared bins and litter.
- Tampines Town Council will impose liquidated damages on Ban Chuan, which has hired temporary and backup cleaners to address lapses.
- Ban Chuan is expediting hiring more workers, while the town council monitors the situation. Residents are also urged to help keep spaces clean.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – More cleaners have been deployed to Tampines after a newly appointed contractor failed to keep parts of the estate clean due to a lack of workers.
The town council will impose liquidated damages on the contractor, Ban Chuan Trading and Engineering, for these lapses, said town council chairman Baey Yam Keng on May 8.
Mr Baey is Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and for Transport.
On April 1, Ban Chuan took over cleaning contracts for three out of five divisions in Tampines GRC – Tampines Boulevard, Tampines Central and Tampines North.
Residents told The Straits Times that bins and bulky items subsequently took longer than usual to be cleared.
A mattress left at a void deck in Tampines Boulevard on May 5.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
One resident in Tampines Boulevard, Mr B. Ram Nangina, 63, said items such as cartons and small furniture were left near the letterbox on several occasions in April.
Ms Lena Cheng, who lives in the same estate, also saw canned drinks left on the floor of her void deck on several occasions.
“I think the cleaners are doing their job; it’s just that there are people who dump their litter on the floor,” the 48-year-old homemaker said.
A TikTok post on April 23 showed overflowing bins in the estate, with canned drinks, bottles, cardboard boxes and clothes also strewn around the void deck.
But when ST visited the area on May 5, the bins and litter had been cleared. A worker told ST he was hired just last week.
Mr Baey, who is the MP overseeing the area, told ST that the new contractor has “a higher level of migrant worker shortage, which severely affected service delivery in some areas”. This was exacerbated by the outgoing contractors winding down manpower towards the end of their contracts, he added.
“Both scenarios should not have happened. Tampines Town Council is imposing liquidated damages on these contractors for all lapses in their performances.”
Uncleared bins in Tampines Boulevard on May 5.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Ban Chuan has since hired temporary cleaners for daily operations, and extra backup cleaners who are deployed in the evenings to “follow up on any cleaning lapses”, Mr Baey said.
The firm is also working with the town council and the Manpower Ministry to expedite the hiring of more workers, who are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
A rubbish pile at a void deck in Tampines Boulevard on May 5.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Mr Baey said that the town council received a higher volume of feedback relating to cleanliness in April. But the number of such reports has started to decrease, he added.
“The town council team will continue to monitor the situation closely and respond promptly to residents’ feedback,” he said.
He also urged residents to help keep shared spaces clean.
ST has contacted Ban Chuan for comment.
