Latest news with #Janil
Online Citizen
01-05-2025
- General
- Online Citizen
Punggol resident urges town council to address pigeon infestation, cites years of inaction
SINGAPORE: A Punggol resident has turned to TikTok, urging the town council to address a longstanding pigeon infestation in the area while raising concerns about public hygiene and potential health risks. The area is under the ward of Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, who is also the People's Action Party (PAP) candidate for Punggol GRC in the upcoming 2025 General Election. 'Dear Pasir Ris-Punggol town council. can you start taking action?' the TikTok user asked in the video. 'We have been calling the town council to complain, but no action has been taken to date.' The resident cited a notice dated 30 December 2024, in which the Pasir Ris–Punggol Town Council acknowledged receiving feedback from residents about pigeons roosting and defecating on air-conditioner ledges. The council stated that this has raised health concerns, including the potential spread of influenza strains, and has made it difficult for residents to clean the soiled areas. 'To address this, the town council is exploring the installation of bird netting to cover the external air-conditioner ledges up to the roof level,' the notice read. However, it also stated that the plan could only proceed with 75% consensus from flat owners and would require approval from the relevant authorities. The council promised that survey results would be posted on the block's noticeboard within two weeks after the closing date. But the resident claimed that no such results were ever displayed. 'The notice said the results will be posted within two weeks—but we didn't see any,' the user said, adding that pigeons have even laid two eggs outside their unit. 'What's the plan for Waterway Terraces?' they asked. The user said they have been dealing with the issue for years, citing pigeons roosting around the flats and droppings clearly visible in common areas. The persistent smell has made it difficult to open their windows, and many residents have raised concerns about the impact on their health and air-conditioning ventilation. They also noted the difficulty of cleaning the soiled areas and expressed worry about the potential spread of influenza. 'Dear neighbours, are you facing the same issue too?' The user ended their message by urging the authorities to 'kindly take immediate action to address this serious and potentially hazardous health issue.' Residents Share Complaints of Unaddressed Hazards and Slow Action The TikTok post has sparked a wave of comments from other residents living in areas under Janil's purview, with many echoing similar concerns about estate maintenance and the pigeon problem. One commenter noted that their area also falls under Janil, saying they had submitted feedback through a service app three times over the span of a year about a large hole in the footpath. They described it as very dangerous, especially for senior citizens walking at night, and claimed that both HDB and the town council were 'just playing tai chi' instead of taking action. Another resident shared a similar experience, stating that they had reported the pigeon problem two years ago and had been following up regularly, but there were still no updates. 'We constantly have to check ourselves,' they said. Some users expressed disbelief at the lack of regular cleaning. One commented, 'OMG!!! Don't they do weekly washing? My estate does.' In response, the original poster replied that in their block, cleaning happens 'maybe once a year.' Residents Question MP's Visibility and Town Council's Performance Several commenters questioned Janil's visibility and effectiveness as an MP. One user remarked, 'Janil needs to go. Five years in Punggol and I've never seen him—only shows up during festive events.' Others were critical of the town council's performance, with one person calling it 'the worst,' citing slow action. Another noted that even though the town council office was located just downstairs from their block, it had made no difference in the quality of service. 'Disappointed, honestly. Maybe it's really time for a change,' they said. In a recent Facebook post, PAP candidate for Punggol GRC Gan Kim Yong pledged to address long-standing concerns about cleanliness and estate maintenance in Punggol Northshore if elected. He committed to setting up a new Punggol Town Council, with Sun Xueling as its Chairperson, to deliver more effective municipal services for residents.
Independent Singapore
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Gan Kim Yong pledges to personally take care of Northshore residents who claim Janil is "No Action, Talk Only"
SINGAPORE: Amid a spate of complaints from Northshore residents about the state of their subdivision and concerns as to what their Member of Parliament Janil Puthucheary had been doing since the last election, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong has promised that he will personally take care of the sub-ward if elected. He also said he will appoint Sun Xueling as the chairperson of the new Punggol GRC Town Council to ensure residents' needs are met. Mr Gan, who is the anchor candidate for the ruling party's Punggol GRC team, told the press that residents have been open with their feedback but 'it's not all positive.' He said, 'They don't say 'oh good job, please carry on'. Some of them are quite honest, quite open and say that they've got problems here.' Acknowledging that 'there will always be issues because the world is not perfect', Mr Gan promised to continue handling such problems with transparency and openness. He added that he will personally oversee the Northshore region of Punggol GRC if elected. Northshore was a subdivision under Dr Janil's purview during the 14th Parliament's term. Revealing that Northshore residents have flagged a number of problems, including workmanship issues with recently completed public housing flats, the DPM said, 'I promised them that I will sit down and work with the relevant agency to see how we can reduce the population of monkeys to make sure that at least our residents in Northshore will feel safe.' He added that the issues that residents have raised with him will be 'addressed seriously and robustly. He said, 'I cannot promise I will solve all the problems, but I promise that I will do my level best to improve the situation in Northshore, the environment, as well as to continue to increase connectivity.' Some responding to DPM Gan's comments pointed out that a common complaint among Northshore residents is that their MP hasn't dealt with these issues even though they have been flagged to him. One Northshore resident commented on Reddit, 'Yeah confirmed janil all talk no action. I've sent him an email a year ago regarding pathway issues. Promised will look into it. A year has passed. No improvement until today.' Another voter added, 'Can confirm Janil never even reply my email even tho I send him follow up email. It's been a year.' Expressing concern over Dr Janil's promising to 'look into things' only for nothing substantial to be done, one Redditor said, 'I wrote to Dr Janil 2 years ago about the LRT issue and he told me he will 'look' into it. Now in 2025, DPM Gan say by third quarter this year, more 2 cars LRT will be added. If the congestion is bad in 2023, it's worse today because more BTO projects opened up.' Another commenter raised yet another issue that has been ongoing for years. They said, 'Just check the corridor lights at 406A,B Northshore Drive left on for 24 hours not for days, not weeks, not months, but for years.' Last June, about 50 residents of Punggol Point Cove gathered as Dr Janil conducted a walkabout in the area. The walkabout was preceded by a report published by TNP about the plight of the homeowners who were unable to move into their new HDB units due to workmanship defects. While some residents were happy to be able to share their concerns directly with the MP, others told the press that they were disappointed to be told to email Dr Janil to voice their grievances. Some commenting on the issue online took offence with Dr Janil's body language during the June walkabout, claiming that the way the MP walked with both hands in his pockets suggests he wasn't too concerned about this issue. The comments were purely conjecture and speculative but pointed to concerns about whether the MP was serious about solving problems his residents face. Punggol GRC is expected to face one of the hottest contests of the election season, with Mr Gan, Dr Janil and their teammates facing off against a Workers' Party team that includes star candidate, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal.
