Why grass-cutting? Does it deserve the attention of MSO? Some of you may ask these questions after reading about our visit to NParks. Like the fish-ball sticks, a broken lamp post, or an uneven footpath, municipal services provided by our agencies affect the lives of Singaporeans in small ways. Most of the time, Singaporeans would not be aware of the services provided by our agencies, until something is broken, or left uncleaned, or trees not pruned. And MSO strives to improve on the provision of such services, small no doubt, particularly when multiple agencies are involved and responsibility unclear. I met up with NParks officers yesterday to better understand their feedback management process and the municipal issues they handle. NParks receives feedback mostly on fallen trees, maintenance of grass and hedges, as well as park facilities. They have found that by engaging the public personally, they have been able to get very good feedback on how to improve the greenery and park facilities for the benefit of the public. Some of the people who “complained” a lot have gone on to become their partners after regular engagements over the years. On the other hand, some requests were not reasonable and difficult to accommodate – one resident had repeatedly asked NParks to prune the tree hanging over the pavement outside his house, even though the tree is planted by him in his garden. At the Pang Sua Park Connector, I was also briefed on how different agencies were responsible for the grass-cutting at adjacent plots of land, with differing schedules. Why is that a problem? First of all, members of the public who wish to provide feedback on a certain stretch of green may occasionally find himself being referred from one agency to another when multiple agencies are involved. For the agencies involved, it is sometimes difficult to identify the owner as the demarcation of responsibility is unclear on the ground. And why is maintenance like grass cutting important? It is so because it keeps pests like insects and snakes away from the public along park connectors and pedestrian paths. I have personally received feedback about how over-grown hedges block the view of motorists at traffic junctions which can cause accidents. On this front, NParks has been proactively working with different agencies to streamline the maintenance of grass and greenery. MSO will look into the option of centralising public greenery maintenance. We will work closely with agencies to develop a whole-of-government greenery management system. We hope this will help us better serve residents. NParks - Lets Make Singapore Our Garden
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:35:00 +0000
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