Migrant workers who saved driver from sinkhole get SCDF awards, mobile data and goodie bags

SINGAPORE – Seven workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South were presented with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award on Aug 6.

Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Sathapillai Rajendran, Mr Anbazhagan Velmurugan, Mr Bose Ajithkumar, Mr Poomalai Saravanan, Mr Ganesan Veerasekar and Mr Arumugam Chandirasekaran received the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award certificate and medallion from Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming.

They had

pulled a female driver out of a sinkhole using a nylon rope

on July 26, after her car fell into one that formed in Tanjong Katong Road South.

Speaking at the event, Mr Goh thanked the workers and said: “Very bravely, instead of running away from danger, you put yourself in the line of risk and stepped forward to rescue the driver from the vehicle that fell into the sinkhole.

“Singapore is better because you have played a part in helping to support and build parts of Singapore – very good parts of it – that we have today,” added Mr Goh, who is an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

The seven men also received a year’s worth of unlimited mobile data and a goodie bag of household items sponsored by Singtel at an appreciation lunch hosted by the Marine Parade Citizens’ Consultative Committee at a communal hall next to Block 74 Marine Drive.

Each goodie bag contained household essentials, including laundry detergent, cooling towels, shower gel, a portable fan and jasmine rice.

The seven workers were treated to a traditional Indian lunch buffet at the event.

The SCDF Community Lifesaver Award is presented to members of the public who respond swiftly to emergencies and help to save lives before SCDF arrives on the scene.

Forty-three other workers who were involved in the recovery works to repair the sinkhole will also be receiving goodie bags.

Speaking on behalf of the six other workers in Tamil, Mr Subbiah, 46, said they were happy to receive this outpouring of gratitude from the public.

He noted that all seven of them were involved in pulling the driver out of the sinkhole, and managing the flow of traffic to prevent other cars from falling into the sinkhole.

“My family is very happy and very proud of me,” the construction site supervisor said.

“I like the support I get from Singaporeans who gave their thanks. I would like to stay here for five or 10 more years,” Mr Subbiah said, adding that he really likes Singapore.

Mr Rajendran, a 56-year-old excavator operator who has worked in Singapore for 26 years, said he feels a sense of patriotism towards Singapore because he feels that his efforts were recognised.

The men were overheard telling Mr Goh over lunch that they were not hoping to get anything from the Government and were just happy to be recognised.

The sinkhole had formed next to a national water agency PUB worksite in Tanjong Katong Road South. Sections of the road were closed to traffic from the evening of July 26, and were

fully reopened on Aug 4 after a week-long closure

.

Mr Goh told the media that he is focusing on engaging the residents who live near the sinkhole, via house visits, to listen to concerns they might have.

He said he has met the management of One Amber condominium next to the sinkhole to reassure residents that engineers had conducted checks and the buildings are structurally safe.

He declined to provide more details on the ongoing investigations being carried out by PUB and the Building and Construction Authority.