Residents of Hougang town can look forward to three more community spaces along waterways in the neighbourhood by 2018.

These are among 20 projects slated for completion in the next five years under the ABC (Active, Beautiful, Clean) Waters programme.

Work on the three Hougang projects at Hougang Avenue 10, Sungei Pinang and Serangoon Reservoir, over a total distance of 2.2km, starts next month.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Hougang projects yesterday morning.

“I know many residents are looking forward to this, and I hope you enjoy it when it is done. I look forward to coming back and visiting it myself,” Mr Lee said in a speech.

He urged residents to keep the waters clean, adding that otters may visit if the waters are well looked after.

Some upcoming features include a new deck over the canal at Hougang Avenue 10, which can be used for community events. A pedestrian bridge across Sungei Pinang will better connect the housing areas to amenities such as Punggol Park.

There will be more greenery at the three locations to liven up the concrete structures, and a fishing spot along the edge of Serangoon Reservoir will also be built.

The three projects will cost about $19 million.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh, an Ang Mo Kio GRC MP who oversees the Sengkang South division, an area which will benefit from the new projects, said the bridge will help pedestrians, including the elderly and those in wheelchairs, to go to Punggol Park and enjoy the facilities there.

Yesterday’s event, which was also attended by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, marked the 10th year of the ABC Waters programme under national water agency PUB.

This scheme aims to beautify Singapore’s blue spaces and transform concrete canals and drains into areas that can also be used for community events and recreation.

Since the scheme started in 2006, 32 projects costing about $150 million have been completed.

This includes a 3km stretch of the Kallang River located within Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. A concrete canal has been turned into a meandering river, and visitors can now get up close to the river bank.

This project has been a hit not just with humans, but also with birds such as the purple heron and collared kingfisher, which have been seen along the naturalised river. Otters have also been spotted there.

Said Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s chief sustainability officer: “Over time, conventional water infrastructure will be replaced with treasured blue spaces, creating an even more liveable and sustainable City of Gardens and Water.”

Mr Durairaj Baktha, 53, a Hougang resident of three years, appreciates the Government’s efforts to beautify the neighbourhood.

“I really like the greenery, it gives me peace of mind. My three sons also cycle often, and I think they will look forward to more greenery along the way to Punggol Park,” said the project manager.

Punggol Secondary School student Aloysius Goh, 14, who has been living in the area since he was born, said: “With more greenery, people might be less grumpy after a long day of work or school.”

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 21, 2016.
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Potong Pasir’s new and improved waterfront

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受保于终身健保计划后，是否应放弃原有的私人综合健保计划？基本的终身健保是否足以应付庞大医药费，而无须购买最新推出的划一综合健保计划？

这些都是出席终身健保（MediShield Life）讲解会的公众，存在最多疑虑的问题。

由新加坡报业控股华文媒体集团推出的第二系列终身健保讲解活动共15期，每期在不同社区举行。讲解活动昨天上午在麦波申民众俱乐部举行，解答居民问题的包括麦波申区议员陈佩玲。

终身健保去年11月起生效，取代原有的健保双全计划，为所有新加坡公民和永久居民提供终身医疗保障。计划着重于帮助国人应付B2级和C级住院账单。

不少公众也关注上周新宣布的划一综合健保计划（Standard Integrated Shield Plan，简称Standard IP）。有了这项计划，目前只投保终身健保的国人，可以有一个额外的保险选项，入住只有四个病床、装有冷气和电视机，并能选择医生的B1级病房。另外，涵盖A级病房或私人医院的私人综合健保计划（Integrated Shield Plan，简称IP）投保者，也有一个转买保费较低廉的私人保险计划的选择。

卫生部建议考虑投保划一综合健保计划的国人，针对个别情况咨询财务顾问和寻求建议才做决定。

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A new division in the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will ensure a smooth handover of buses and services from incumbent operators to new players.

The Bus Transition Management Division was formed in July last year to make sure that commuters are not inconvenienced by the transfers.

Anglo-Australian firm Tower Transit, one of two new players, will take over some bus routes from incumbents SMRT and SBS Transit as early as May, but the exact date has not been announced.

The new LTA unit has to work quickly on the night of the handover as it has only a window of about five hours, from the moment the first bus that has completed its service pulls into the depot at around 11pm till the start of the next day’s service at 4.30am.

Among other things, the division has to ensure that the electronic systems on the buses, such as that for fare collection, are updated to reflect Tower Transit as the new owner and that buses are signed off by existing operators to TowerTransit.

“The night of the cutover will be like a production line,” Ms Joyce Tay, the division’s deputy director, said of the handover.

Under a new contracting regime, buses and infrastructure are owned by the Government, with routes tendered out to operators, which will focus on service standards.

It’s a Lush Green makeover for new bus fleet

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Tower Transit will start operating the first nine of 26 services it has been contracted to run in the western part of the island. It won the first government bus tender in May last year, effectively breaking the three-decade duopoly held by SBS Transit and SMRT.

British firm Go-Ahead clinched the second package in November and will start operations in the third quarter of this year.

In the lead-up to the big day, the new division has been working with Tower Transit, to make sure that its bus captains have the required vocational licences and are competent in operating the systems on the buses.

LTA is also checking the bus schedules planned by Tower Transit. Under the contracting model, commuters can expect higher service levels, as operators are expected to run all buses with intervals of no more than 15 minutes during both the morning and evening peak periods.

While various departments in the LTA’s public transport group specialise in areas from looking after bus assets to fleet management systems and ticketing, the Bus Transition Management Division coordinates the entire effort.

Said Ms Tay: “All of them are executing towards the transition. My team makes sure that while each is doing its own work, we are piecing the puzzle together. We are the catalyst in moving for the change.”

A smooth transition will be one unseen by commuters, as the hard work is done behind the scenes.

Ms Tay said: “The most important (thing) is that we will minimise any disruptions to commuters, and they will continue to see their buses on the roads.”

This article was first published on March 21, 2016.
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It is society’s duty to help women juggle their various responsibilities, and employers must ensure that human resource policies and practices do not work against women, said Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung.

He spoke of the growing role of women in society at an exhibition and seminar promoting lifelong learning among women yesterday.

More women today face dilemmas and challenges in juggling family and career responsibilities, he said at the event at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar.

“All of us – men, women, society at large – have a duty to help women to juggle competing responsibilities,” he said.

He said job listings for high-level or senior leadership roles tend to seek assertive, outgoing, results- focused and dynamic candidates, and that “we need to also value qualities such as being nurturing, to have empathy, patience and thoughtfulness”.

He urged organisations to look for fairer criteria in evaluating capabilities and contributions. Career development schemes should not have an age requirement as it may disadvantage those who took time off to start a family, he said.

Women all over the world have made great strides in leadership, he noted, citing South Korean President Park Geun Hye and General Motors chief executive Mary Barra.

In Singapore, more women are advancing in their careers and professional roles, and more are joining the military, said Mr Ong, who is also Senior Minister of State for Defence.

The labour participation rate for women aged 25 to 64 is about 72 per cent today. Although it is lower than that for men – which is about 80 per cent – it is high by international standards, he added.

In politics, the number of elected MPs who are women has doubled since the early 2000s to 22 now, he said. Both the Speaker of Parliament – Madam Halimah Yacob – and Leader of the House – Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu – are women.

Woman breastfeeds baby at Raffles Place

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Jen Pan Photography

“In Singapore, we are a great respecter of women. We place great emphasis on education and development because people are our capital,” he said. “That is really the only reason such a tiny country gets to play on the world stage.”

He also paid tribute to the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo, wife of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, for being a key advocate of the rights of women here, noting that she and other activists put their ideas into the landmark 1961 Women’s Charter, which is still in place today to protect Singaporean women.

Over 500 women visited the exhibition by the People’s Association Women’s Integration Network Council, which had booths by 11 SkillsFuture training providers. It aimed to raise awareness of the options and grants available to help women make better use of their SkillsFuture credits.

Housewife Helen Teo, 58, who was keen on a hospitality and tourism diploma and dim sum-making course, said: “This event opened my eyes to the courses I can take. It’s also a push for me to get out of my house and do something.”

Woman breastfeeds baby at Raffles Place

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Jen Pan Photography

This article was first published on March 21, 2016.
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