Govt to seek public’s views on review of Sustainable S’pore blueprint

SINGAPORE — A review of the Sustainable Singapore blueprint will involve a public consultation exercise over the next three to six months, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Speaking on the sidelines of an emergency preparedness exercise that involved some 500 residents in his ward of Cashew, Dr Balakrishnan said the public would be asked about their views on strengthening the penalty regime for littering and other anti-social behaviour, as well as what they expect of Singapore going forward.

“For instance, whether it’s hawker centres, or any other facilities, how do we ensure that it is truly green at the conceptual level and actually operates efficiently and meets peoples’ needs?”

The review of the Sustainable Singapore blueprint was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday. It will lay out Singapore’s strategies for economic growth in a way that is environmentally sustainable.

Dr Balakrishnan said his ministry is also looking at amending legislation to establish a volunteer corps of environment protection officers.

Trained volunteers are currently given authority to take down the details of litterbugs and report them to the National Environment Agency for investigation. The authorities are now looking at creating a volunteer corps who will be able to issue summonses.

MONICA KOTWANI