Issue of malfunctioning lifts in Punggol being addressed: MP

SINGAPORE — For months now, the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council has been keeping track of the lifts in the area that break down frequently so that rectification works can be done swiftly.

And cleaning contractors have been hired specifically to clear the debris that causes some lifts to malfunction, Member of Parliament Sun Xueling said yesterday when asked about updates on the malfunctioning lifts for the new flats at Waterway Cascadia.

It was reported this month that residents at the new Build-to-Order project in her Punggol West ward had to put up with frequent issues such as the lifts getting stuck at certain floors and lift doors that cannot close fully.

Over 80 residents have signed a petition, calling for the lifts to be replaced.

Ms Sun said: “The issue ... is something that I’m very, very concerned about. We’ve been hearing feedback from residents, I’m well aware of that.”

She has since been working with the lift contractor and manufacturer, the Housing and Development Board and the town council.

Another meeting has been set within the next fortnight to go through the issues highlighted to her.

Town council officials also patrol the new BTOs routinely for errant renovation contractors who abuse the lifts, and are studying the possibility of having more officials on patrol and installing cameras in the lift areas, she said.

“It’s something that we’re monitoring on a daily basis. The town council knows, and it’s their topmost priority,” she added. While the problem lifts are spread out across the estate, she noted they tend to be from the newer blocks.

“It’s a moving list. Once you’ve solved one lift, given the number of new housing units that are coming up in Punggol West, there will be a new batch,” added Ms Sun, who did not give an estimate of the number of problem lifts.

“Sometimes, residents may feel it takes a longer time to resolve. It’s not because we’re not looking at it, but the technical reason it has malfunctioned requires a longer time to investigate.”

This includes finding specific spare parts, which may not be readily available.

“It’s a very unfortunate thing to inconvenience our residents while they wait for that spare part to be delivered. But when that happens, the town council comes down quite hard on the lift manufacturer to say: ‘You should make those spare parts available.’”

Some residents at Waterway Cascadia said they continue to experience problems. Engineer Franco Zhou, 30, who moved in two months ago, said that at least one of the two lifts in his block would be down, and the repairs take a while.

He added: “(The flats) are new, we shouldn’t be having this problem.”

Another resident, who wanted to be known only as Mdm Huang, 50, said the frequency of breakdowns has gone down, although she hopes the lift operators could react more quickly to such incidents.

Recalling how she was trapped in a lift previously with her contractor, with no help for 30 minutes despite pressing the alarm button, Mdm Huang said her contractor had to physically shut the doors before the lift moved again. Siau Ming En