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Mixed results in HDB block that mixes rental and purchased flats
Those from rental flats in Marsiling block largely positive, others have some misgivings
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Madam Senthamizhselvi, 55, with husband Govindasamy Shanmugam, 59, and their granddaughter, Kayal Gobiraj, three, at the couple's purchased flat in Block 182A Woodlands Street 13, the only HDB block thus far with both rental and purchased units. She often chats with a family from a rental apartment.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Yuen Sin, Salome Ong, Aqil Hamzah
Up till the end of last year, Madam Noma Salam, 51, lived in a densely packed block of rental flats in Champions Way, Woodlands, where she had to put up with problems from her neighbours, such as domestic quarrels and fights in the early hours of the day, on a daily basis.
"It wasn't peaceful at all, and because there were so many problems, people from purchased flats in the neighbourhood looked at us differently. If I smiled at them, they won't even smile back. It was as if there was a label on your forehead," said Madam Noma, a housewife.
