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CNY fair did not need permit: Town council

SINGAPORE — The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) did not need a permit to organise a Chinese New Year fair in January, its defence lawyer argued yesterday.

SINGAPORE — The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) did not need a permit to organise a Chinese New Year fair in January, its defence lawyer argued yesterday.

Mr Peter Low was speaking on the first day of a trial in which the town council is fighting a summons for holding an alleged illegal trade fair at the Hougang Central Hub.

The town council is charged with committing the offence under Section 35 of the Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA).

It is alleged to have organised the fair without a permit issued by the National Environment Agency.

NEA prosecutors said the fair, comprising five stalls selling items such as festive cookies, fruits and potted plants, amounted to a “temporary fair” — thus requiring a licence under the EPHA regulations.

However, Mr Low argued that under the Town Councils Act sub-section 2(1)(b)(iii), the fair, which used common property, fell under social or communal functions, such as holding mini-fairs, which did not require a permit.

NEA prosecutor Issac Tan countered that the sub-section cited by Mr Low deals with fees imposed for using common property and was not related to licensing issues.

The district court heard that last December, the town council was told by the NEA that a permit was required to hold the fair.

The town council subsequently submitted several documents for its permit application. On Jan 9 — the day the fair started — the NEA informed AHPETC that its application for a permit was incomplete and could not be processed.

The next day, the NEA wrote to the town council, warning it to stop the fair until a permit was issued or enforcement action would be taken.

However, the town council did not reply and went ahead with the fair, the court heard.

If found guilty, AHPETC — which is represented in court by its chairman Sylvia Lim — could be fined up to S$1,000.

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