By Rachel Chan

TAMPINES Town Council unveiled its preliminary one-month Town Council Management Report (TCMR) at a Tampines Town Hall Forum yesterday.

Estate maintenance was revealed to be an area of weakness for the 25-year-old town. It scored a banding of level three out of five (five being the worst) in this area, with an average number of 5.7 defects per block.

The Ministry of National Development finalised the initial framework for Singapore's town councils' report card in September. It covers four key areas: Estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance, and arrears management for service and conservancy charges.

The results of the first TCMR are scheduled for the middle of next year, but Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said he wanted to share the internal assessment with Tampines residents.

He hopes that the town's cleanliness could be improved by the time the official report is released.

Together with other Members of Parliament for Tampines GRC - Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Mr Ong Kian Min, Ms Irene Ng and Mr Sin Boon Ann - Mr Mah appealed to residents to do their part by not littering and providing timely feedback about estate maintenance.

Ms Ng also revealed that the town council's by-laws would soon include an enforcement plan that takes action against reckless cyclists.

They could be fined, she said. Details will be announced next month.

Tampines residents responded positively to yesterday's announcements.

"I found the forum discussion to be quite informative, as it reflects the current problems and how the town council plans to resolve them," said administrative officer Irene Loo, 33.

Mr Mah said that a Tampines five-year plan will be unveiled next year, but added that - contrary to speculation - this did not mean elections will be held then.

He later attended an event that saw residents of Tampines East gather to break the record for Singapore's largest rangoli, measuring 370 sq m, which is the size of multi- purpose court.

rachchan@sph.com.sg

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