Top tip-off: upgrading delays
They were almost unheard of until a contractor pulled out of works at Marine Terrace and a reader called this paper
By Leong Pik Yin
WHEN university lecturer Eugene Tan, 34, called The Straits Times Newsline last June about stalled upgrading works at Marine Terrace, he was not even sure whether or not the newspaper would pick up the story.
RESULT: GOVT ACTION
What Mr Tan's phone call led to:
• June 6: The Straits Times runs the story about stalled upgrading works at Marine Terrace.
• June 8: Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, an MP for Marine Parade GRC, promises action on the stalled works - the result of three contractors running into financial difficulties, one after another.
• June 10: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan visits the site, as HDB's contingency contractor Teambuild Construction rushes to complete unfinished works in residents' flats.
• June 11: HDB chief executive Niam Chiang Meng visits some Marine Terrace residents. He apologises for delay.
• June 22: Mr Mah tells Parliament that the Government will review its tendering process, said to be a reason for the upgrading woes, as desperate contractors put in below-cost bids.
• June 30: Mr Mah tells Parliament that works at Marine Terrace will be tendered out and the new contractor will start work in August.
• Aug 6: HDB reveals that its Main Upgrading Programme has been rejected by residents of Pandan Gardens - the first time since the programme began in 1992.
• Aug 13: Contingency contractor Teambuild Construction is awarded the contract at Marine Terrace.
• Oct 11: The Government sets new rules for all public projects to help ensure faster payment for contractors.
It did. And the issue continued to hog media headlines for weeks.
Upgrading delays were almost unheard of until then. And this was in the Prime Minister's constituency too.
Since upgrading works had begun in December 2001, three contractors had pulled out of the project one after the other because of financial difficulties.
When the third, Sum Keong Construction, abandoned the site last June, some households had to contend with unfinished toilets, exposed sewage pipes and piles of uncleared debris.
'It was unbelievable,' recalled Mr Tan who had to live without a toilet bowl for several days.
When he noticed that no workers had turned up at the site, he called the upgrading site office but could not get any answers.
He then rang the Housing Board branch office, as well as the board's headquarters, but to no avail.
'I called so many times. I even tried to reach the HDB chief. But I kept getting the answering machine,' he said.
Fed up, Mr Tan called this newspaper's Newsline, something he had never done before.
'I was not out to be a hero,' said Mr Tan, whose tip-off led to him being picked as The Straits Times' top Newsline caller of the year.
'I just wanted to raise some serious concerns. I was disappointed and angry that we, the primary stakeholders, were being kept in the dark and any attempts to get answers led to nothing. I also wanted to know how it was possible for so many contractors to come and go.'
Besides answers, Mr Tan also wanted to 'just have my life back'. His wife and baby, then just two months old, were staying with her parents because of the upgrading.
The Government worked fast, and HDB's contingency contractor Teambuild Construction completed the works inside residents' flats in double-quick time.
The brouhaha also brought to light other cases of construction delays. Many were linked to the financial woes of contractors, who have been badly hit by the economic downturn.
'I'm glad that something good has come out of this whole fiasco.
'The hotline is a fantastic tool. Things really moved after the matter was put in the public's view,' Mr Tan said.
The upgrading is scheduled for completion in June but there may be a delay of up to two months.
'I'm sure the new contractor is working hard to try to meet the June deadline,' said Mr Tan, who is now on a fellowship programme in the United States.
'I'm just glad to be away from all the dust and noise.'