HDB needs clear action plan in managing faulty lifts

I refer to the report “Residents of Punggol block lament faulty lifts installed by suspended firm” (June 20). Punggol is not the only estate suffering from such woes.

The lift in Block 66 Kallang Bahru, where a My First Skool centre is located on the fifth storey, breaks down frequently. Even when it is in operation, we hold the lift door open, instead of pressing the button, to ensure that the door does not close.

Given lift-maker Sigma’s history of faulty lifts, the Housing and Development Board has given the company a wide berth since October 2015, barring it from new tenders until it solves the problems. I wonder how the authority is tracking the progress of this, and how detailed its checks are. Is it that some major components must be changed? What is the plan to minimise lift failures or ensure they do not recur?

The authority should provide a road map for the targets it wants to achieve in handling these lift issues. Though Sigma’s performance is not the norm, this is not an issue faced by only one town council.

A number of lifts in the same batches would have similar problems, and faulty lifts are a danger to residents. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”.