Tag Archives: Fajar Road

KUDOS to the Housing Board for coming out to say that the six wet markets Sheng Siong plans to acquire must stay (‘HDB to Sheng Siong: 6 wet markets must stay‘, last Saturday). I hope the other two wet markets slated for closure receive the same verdict.

The signal to big supermarket players is clear: They can expand but the authorities will not forsake the current wet markets that serve residents.

Over the past 60 years, the authorities have improved wet market facilities. They should continue to make them more comfortable for shopping, with better amenities. The HDB should also build more wet markets to balance social needs while preserving our valuable cultural heritage.

Interviews with stallholders and residents on television speak volumes of the special place wet markets have in their hearts, something air-conditioned supermarkets cannot replicate. Continue reading →

They do not meet criteria for conversion into supermarkets

SUPERMARKET chain Sheng Siong, which is planning to take over six wet markets, has been told by the Housing Board that it cannot convert them into supermarkets.

The wet markets will have to stay because they do not meet the criteria for conversion into supermarkets, the HDB said yesterday.

Applications for such instances of conversion of use are assessed on a case-by- case basis, depending on the needs of residents, stall occupancy rate, operating hours and number of customers.

But while the HDB’s announcement should please residents who are loath to give up shopping in their neighbourhood wet markets, there is still a question mark over the stallholders’ livelihood. Continue reading →