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The former deputy CEO of the Housing Development Board (HDB), Yao Chee Liew, has voiced his discomfort in the apparent shift of responsibility to the contractor for the clearance of a forested area at Kranji.

Writing in a forum letter in Lianhe Zaobao, Yao said that JTC Corporation was the organisation that developed the project and as such, it should also bear much responsibility for the debacle.

"60 per cent of the responsibility lies with JTC"

Yao said in the letter that both the contractor and JTC were responsible, apportioning 60 per cent of the responsibility to JTC, and 40 per cent to the contractor.

Yao also said that while some may disagree with his views in terms of how he allocated the responsibility between the two parties, the most important lesson is not to shift the responsibility to the contractor.

Yao explained that there were procedures which both sides had to adhere to in the course of development.

These procedures were detailed by Yao to be as such:

• Almost all government projects are carried out by open tender, which means that the contractor would have to make bids based on engineering drawings and contract specifications:

  • The bid is usually won by the contractor with the lowest price,

• Afterwards, JTC would hire a qualified land surveyor to finalise the scope of the project before passing it to the contractor prior to construction,

  • At this point, if the contractor does not develop the project based on the landmarks established by the land surveyor, it is the contractor's fault,
  • In addition, while JTC may be able to state in the contract that the contractor is responsible for surveying the land, but such an approach is irresponsible.

• Both parties must therefore work together to ensure that the project can proceed smoothly.

  • This means JTC has to hire a project manager, engineering supervisor or clerk of works to stay on site which the project is in progress, so as to ensure standards are met and help the contractor with problems that might arise.

Disbelief that such an incident could happen in Singapore

After looking at the photos, Yao expressed his disbelief that such an incident could happen in Singapore.

Moreover, he said that such large-scale logging could not happen possibly happen in a day.

Yao believes that such large-scale logging would take at least six months to carry out.

Satellite images showed Kranji woodland destroyed as early as March last year

Satellite images show that the Kranji woodland was destroyed as early as Mar. 1 last year, from the images and data provided by Global Forest Watch.

The footage also showed work halted between March and August 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The area cleared remained the same throughout those months and more logging was only made starting from September 2020.

By Jan. 25, 2021, green patches of at least 8 hectares - or 11 football fields - were cleared, according to satellite Sentinel-2B used as part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth-monitoring project.

Where were JTC's personnel?

This led Yao to pose the following question: Where did JTC's project manager and engineering supervisor go?

Yao said that the damage might have been even greater had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic.

He concluded by defending contractors in general:

'We should know that contractors have made significant contributions to Singapore, especially the old contractors of the Pioneer generation."

Contractor under stop work order by JTC

Yesterday (Feb. 19), Huationg Global Limited said in a press release that it is assisting JTC with investigations into the issue.

It also said that it had been issued with a stop-work order by JTC on Jan. 13.

As a result, the Group expects delays in the completion of the project works at the Kranji Agri-Food Innovation Park.

Background

A JTC spokesman told the media on Feb. 16 that it discovered its contractor had "erroneously" begun clearing some of these specific plots of land prematurely on Jan. 13, 2021.

That was when JTC ordered all clearing works to stop and issued a stern warning to the contractor.

Aerial images of the deforestation were posted on social media on Feb. 14, which prompted JTC's response.

JTC said a Biodiversity Baseline Study was to be carried out in December 2020 to work out an Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan.

It was to be completed in April 2021 only.

Development plans were to be discussed with key stakeholders, including nature groups.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said it was investigating the unauthorised clearance.

It is illegal to fell a tree with a girth exceeding 1m growing on any vacant land, whether within or outside a tree conservation area, except with the approval of NParks, according to the Parks and Trees Act.

Top collage left image via Global Forest Watch, right photo via Brice Li