SINGAPORE - More than 17,000 lifts in Housing Board estates will be modernised with better safety features over the next 10 years, with the People's Action Party (PAP) town councils having finalised plans under the $450 million Lift Enhancement Programme by the Government.

The 15 PAP town councils said in a statement on Monday (Jan 28) that modernisation works will begin for 1,600 lifts across the island in the next 15 months.

This comes after the PAP Lift Task Force completed its review of the lifts with contractors.

The HDB announced the Lift Enhancement Programme in 2016 to support town councils in equipping lifts with recommended components by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

The Government later said that the 10-year initiative, costing an estimated $450 million, will benefit more than 80 per cent or about 20,000 of the 24,000 lifts in HDB estates.

The programme is substantially funded by the HDB and extended to lifts which have not fulfilled all of the BCA's recommendations and operated for less than 18 years from the start of the LEP.

Some BCA-recommended lift components include having an ascending car overspeed protection to monitor speed and detect uncontrolled movements of the lift car, an electrical safety device to stop the lift car from moving when the governor rope has slackened and an automatic rescue device during power failure.

Around 1,500 lifts managed by the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council will undergo the same Lift Enhancement Programme in the next 10 years, with the first batch of 180 lifts slated for upgrading in the next 15 months, a spokesman said in response to media queries.

AHTC is also adopting BCA's list of eight recommended safety features, he said.