SINGAPORE: Concerns about unsafe upgrading works at Teban Gardens came to public light after Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member Sani Ismail was approached by a resident from Block 40.
Sani Ismail, who contested in the 2025 General Election in the West Coast–Jurong West constituency, visited the area during election campaigning in late April.
During his visit, affected residents briefed and showed him various issues affecting the block.
The residents described the “repair and redecoration” (R&R) works carried out by the West Coast Town Council as unsafe, haphazard, and misaligned with residents’ needs.
Sani raised these concerns in his final rally speech on 1 May, emphasising that safety should be a top priority particularly in residential estates with a higher proportion of elderly residents.
The Online Citizen (TOC) conducted a site visit on 19 May 2025 to investigate the claims.
Several residents offered detailed accounts of unsafe construction, inadequate communication, and what they saw as the misuse of taxpayer funds.
Despite a formal letter sent by TOC to the town council on 27 May highlighting safety issues, no reply was received.
Retiling works created new risks rather than improving safety
A key issue flagged by residents was the retiling of lift landings and common areas in Block 40, which began in early April.
According to a resident, Goh, tiles were hastily removed and the exposed cement surfaces were left uneven and unfinished for weeks due to a tile stock shortage.
Residents questioned why the tiles—many of which were in good condition—were removed in the first place.
When TOC visited on 19 May, workers had just laid fresh cement on the 8th floor earlier that day.
Lim, a resident who lives on this level, recounted opening his door earlier in the day to find workers at the common area, with no prior notice that flooring works would be carried out at his level that day.
Ducking under plastic cordons to meet TOC, Lim had to carefully step on the dried sections of the cement to exit his home.
A work notice posted near the lift doors at each level stated that R&R works would run from 8 January to 21 May, but there was no breakdown of when work would be carried out at specific levels, leaving residents surprised and inconvenienced when the works were being carried out.
Water ingress and trip hazards in elderly homes
Goh brought TOC to his grandmother’s flat on the 7th floor. After retiling was completed, the ground at the corridor was elevated above the flat’s threshold.
When the estate’s scheduled block washing took place, water flowed into the unit—an outcome the family had predicted and warned the town council about.
Additionally, a sunken gap had formed between the threshold and the elevated ground, compelling Goh to lay a mat over it to prevent tripping, particularly as his grandmother is elderly.
A video shows Goh pointing out this misalignment, demonstrating how the external works created new and unnecessary hazards to a flat that was meant to be accessible and safe.
Wheelchair users disadvantaged by uneven terrain
Shariff, a long-time resident who has lived in Teban Gardens since 1977, is now dependent on a walking frame and wheelchair after a serious fall at home that left him hospitalised for over a month.
On the day of TOC’s visit, Shariff shared how he was unable to wheel directly from his flat to the lift due to the exposed and uneven flooring after the tiles were removed in early April.
To leave his home, he had to first use his walking frame to reach the lift before transitioning to his wheelchair.
After several complaints, the town council laid a piece of carpet as a temporary solution—an act residents criticised as superficial and inadequate.
Shariff further flagged a walkway behind Block 40 that had been repeatedly reported for its hazardous condition but was excluded from the upgrading plan.
He recalled assisting an elderly neighbour who fell while pushing his wheelchair over this brick-paved path. The man later passed away, although no direct link was made between the accident and his death.
Ignored walkway still poses major danger to residents
Goh later led TOC to the walkway mentioned by Shariff. The brick path is extensively worn, chipped, and uneven—used daily by residents heading to the market.
Goh recalled that his grandmother’s marketing trolley had once toppled over after its wheels became trapped in the uneven gaps.
Despite repeated feedback, the town council informed residents that the walkway was “outside the scope” of the current R&R works.
Goh expressed frustration at the logic of replacing structurally sound tiles and cement flooring under HDB blocks while ignoring a hazardous and widely used path that runs through and connects several HDB blocks to the market.
A video with Goh shows the extent of the damage, demonstrating how difficult it is to wheel trolleys or mobility aids across the terrain.
Half-measures and spending inconsistencies raise residents’ ire
Lim and Goh both questioned why the R&R funds were spent on removing and replacing items in good condition, while other essential works were either ignored or only partially completed.
One example cited was the upgrading of the stairway railings. Only the first two floors received new stainless steel balustrades.
Railings above that were merely repainted, despite visible corrosion where the balusters met the base.
Lim observed that the paint had only concealed deeper structural decay.
Ground-level improvements were also criticised as inconsistent.
Although a slippery linkway was resurfaced, its ceiling remained visibly rusty, with patchy repainting suggesting deferred works.
Drainage upgrades were similarly fragmented—some segments of open drains were rebuilt while others with visible wall displacement were left untouched until residents complained.
Neglected hazards outside Block 39 shops
TOC’s investigation also covered Block 39, where the ground-level corridor in front of several businesses presented further safety issues.
Individual tiles could be lifted with ease, and one had fractured entirely.
Shop staff told TOC that the problem began over six months ago.
An email had allegedly been sent to the town council more than a month earlier, but no action had followed.
Additionally, the roof above the shopfront walkway was reported to leak during rainfall, thereby worsening the risks for passersby and customers.
A video taken by TOC shows one of the tiles being lifted effortlessly, underlining how unstable the walkway surface has become.
Residents hope the TC will listen
Residents who spoke to TOC emphasised that their concerns were grounded in day-to-day safety and accessibility, rather than political motivations.
Both Goh and Shariff expressed hope that by speaking publicly, greater attention would be brought to issues affecting elderly and mobility-impaired residents in the community.
Despite the seriousness of the issues raised, the West Coast Town Council did not respond to TOC’s letter sent on 27 May.
When contacted on 6 June, Goh confirmed that the town council had neither made contact nor attempted any rectification.
“They don’t even respond to the residents’ feedback,” Goh said.
“Doing things which were unnecessary and neglecting what were necessary. Wasting taxpayer money, causing hazards and disruptions to the residents.”
With no official comment to date, residents are now relying on media coverage and political engagement—such as that from Sani—to pressure for accountability and meaningful change in their estate’s management.
The post Teban Gardens residents raise alarm over unsafe upgrading works, town council silent appeared first on The Online Citizen.
