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Rochor residents bid painful farewell to iconic estate

SINGAPORE — For 70-year-old Madam Tay, having to leave the rainbow-coloured Rochor Centre — her home for the past three decades — was such a painful affair that she delayed handing over the keys of her four-room flat to the authorities until yesterday.

Long-time resident Mdm Tay, 70, leaving with her belongings after handing over the keys of her four-room flat at Rochor Centre yesterday. Photo: Jason Quah

Long-time resident Mdm Tay, 70, leaving with her belongings after handing over the keys of her four-room flat at Rochor Centre yesterday. Photo: Jason Quah

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SINGAPORE — For 70-year-old Madam Tay, having to leave the rainbow-coloured Rochor Centre — her home for the past three decades — was such a painful affair that she delayed handing over the keys of her four-room flat to the authorities until yesterday.

Residents of the iconic landmark, known for its four colourful blocks of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, have until the end of this week to vacate their units. The estate has been acquired by the Government to make way for the 21.5km-long North-South Expressway, which will connect towns in the northern region to the city centre.

As a long-time resident, Mdm Tay, who declined to give her full name, said she enjoyed having the little chit-chats with her neighbours whenever she walked along the corridor of her flat, and the convenience offered by the many amenities nearby, such as hawker centres and coffeeshops in the Bugis area.

“My children spent their growing-up years here, so it’s very painful for us to move out ... That’s why we moved out only at the last minute,” she said in Mandarin yesterday while clearing the remainder of her belongings from her flat on the fifth floor.

“Everyone would just leave their doors open, chat freely ... Now, I don’t know anyone in my new (place),” said Mdm Tay, whose family has moved to a flat in Boon Keng.

Her sentiments were echoed by several of the estate’s elderly residents. Mdm S K Leow, 65, a Rochor Centre resident since the late 1970s, grew tearful as she reminisced about the area.

“Everything is good about this place — there are places to eat at, there’s bus and MRT ... It’s very convenient for old folks like us. But I guess we have no choice (but to leave),” said Mdm Leow, who has moved out of her flat but would hand over the keys only today.

When TODAY visited the area yesterday afternoon, the once-bustling centre resembled a ghost town, save for the presence of a few shutterbugs who were combing the area to capture its final moments, professional movers transporting mattresses and other big-ticket items, and rag-and-bone men looking for discarded goods.

And there were certainly many items left behind by residents.

At one block, a wooden piano, an old television and a toaster had been left abandoned along the corridor. At the void deck of another block, there were refrigerators, ageing wooden cabinets and old sofas waiting to be collected by anyone who was interested in them.

The HDB said yesterday that almost all the 567 households had collected keys to their replacement flats. Nine out of 10 households, or 504, have chosen a replacement flat at Kallang Trivista in Upper Boon Keng Road.

Former resident Yap Miang How told TODAY that he visits Rochor Centre almost daily even though his family had moved to Kallang Trivista in September. “(We) miss it, of course, especially after we have grown so used to living here ... I just come back to find some of my old friends, walk around for a bit,” the 75-year-old retiree said in Mandarin.

While the HDB said that most of the households have returned the keys of their Rochor flats, some residents have requested for an extension since they are unable to move out by the end of the year.

One of them is housewife Shanel Yep, 38, who plans to move out before Chinese New Year to a flat in Bendeemer.

A HDB spokesperson said: “We have considered their individual circumstances and will continue to work with them to vacate the units as soon as possible. For security reasons, we have advised the remaining residents to move out soon.”

The site will be handed over to the Land Transport Authority when it is completely vacated.

While most residents will be saying goodbye to Rochor Centre, Mdm Jackie Chua, 66, will still be having a presence in a nearby area.

Mdm Chua, who used to run the Kwang Hui Kopitiam at Rochor Centre, has managed to get a small shop at Tan Quee Lan Street in Bugis, where she will sell traditional snacks.

“The rental and crowd is not bad ... When my old customers found out about the (new location), they were all very happy too ... It’s like fate has arranged it for us,” she said in Mandarin.

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