An elderly woman had her garden outside her Choa Chu Kang flat cleared by the authorities after she was given a week's notice to remove her plants.

“No more papaya,” a three-year-old boy told his father as they walked past the first floor of Block 335 Bukit Batok Street 32.

“Yes, no more, everything gone now,” his 33-year-old father, James (not his real name) replied.

His ground floor neighbour's garden was cut down by Chua Chu Kang (CCK) Town Council on Mar. 6, 2024.

This was following a decluttering exercise at the block.

The caretaker of the garden is an 84-year-old woman, Madam P (not her real name).

Her cherished garden, right at her doorstep, was removed a week after she was first served notice of a decluttering exercise, leaving her with nothing but the remnants of six years of labour.

Began with a starfruit tree

Madam P’s garden, which was located at a grass patch near her flat, started with a starfruit tree that had been there prior to her moving in 2019.

The land is state land but was tended to by another person.

The elderly woman, who loved gardening since she was 17-years-old, decided to plant more plants — both in pots and on the ground — to keep a garden of her own.

Served notice of clearance

On Feb. 26, 2024, the town council served several tenants at Block 335 a notice to declutter their hallways.

Madam P insisted that her garden abided by the clearance distance of 1.2m for unobstructed passageways at all times.

“They gave me only a couple of days to clean up, and I told them I couldn’t possibly do it at my age and I’ve got a reversed heart.”

Madam P told Mothership that a person with a reverse heart condition is a one in a million occurrence in Singapore.

Currently, she cannot walk for long distances and has to rely on a wheelchair for assistance due to her condition.

The elderly woman also lived alone with her helper.

Madam P said she had requested more time to clear her garden on Mar. 4, 2024, as she was going to the hospital on Mar. 5, 2024.

The town council then extended the deadline to Mar. 6, 2024.

Could not transfer plants in time

Madam P and her helper attempted to clear the garden, but did not manage to transfer all her plants into flower pots by the deadline.

“They came with so many people, gave me no chance to talk... and even with the police,” Madam P’s voice broke as she spoke.

“And in the midst of all this commotion, they chopped off everything and threw [my plants] away... They just carried everything into the lorry and just smashed them all up,” she added.

“I told them, if they trimmed down the starfruit tree to the height of maybe 3 feet, but before I could finish my sentence they cut it right to the bottom and i couldn’t salvage it."

“How much money I spent on the garden... I don’t [spend] lavish[ly] in any way but I do it for my plants,” Madam P continued, adding that things, such as soil and flower pots are getting costlier.

“My heart was bleeding... then I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” Madam P recalled the night her garden was torn down.

“And now, the whole place is left... with grass on it, and you’ll still have to employ people to cut the grass, whereas I would weed all the grass from the patch.”

“And I even told them if you need [me] to, I’m willing to pay for that patch, rent it to me,” Madam P said in frustration.

“Garden did not not obstruct anyone or disturb anybody”

James, who is a neighbour of Madam P's, emailed the town council multiple times on Madam P’s behalf after hearing about what happened.

He wrote to the town council that the garden that Madam P set up "at the grass patch" did not "obstruct anyone or disturb anybody".

James added: “We respectfully request for flexibility to allow residents to pursue hobbies and interests that do not pose any obstruction or fire emergency hazards.”

He also said the elderly woman would often share her harvest with her neighbours, friends and family whenever she could.

Sugar cane that is safe to consume for diabetics, blue peas supposedly good for the eyes, and naturally sweet papayas were some of the fruits Madam P would share with her peers, Madam P told Mothership.

Students from a kindergarten near Madam P’s house would also often stop by to admire her garden, with their teachers patiently teaching them the names of the various plants.

However, to Madam P, the main joy was seeing her plants flourish.

What befuddled James and Madam P was that they could still see hanging flower pots, metal fencing and other items in the hallways of blocks adjacent to them.

Since the beginning of April, Madam P said they have begun a similar decluttering exercise at a neighbouring block.

“I’m not an unreasonable person,” Madam P said, acknowledging the reasons for the town council’s decision.

However, she said if people do not clutter the place and are "responsible", they should be allowed to keep items in the passageways and corridors of HDB blocks.

“Especially people at our age,” Madam P added. “What can we do? We can’t be going to shopping centres.”

“Yes, we have all the community gardens, but whether their legs can take them there is another thing.”

James added: “Town council said they want to make a place liveable for all of us, more conducive for all of us, but this is the kampung spirit that we want."

“These little things are some things that are not affecting anybody, and she [was] so happy.”

CCK town council's statement

In response to Mothership’s queries, the town council said: "Our officers advised residents of the above block with items in the passageways and common areas that compromised safety or public hygiene to tidy or clear the spaces.”

“They were given the notice to do so on Feb. 26, 2024, with a time frame of seven days to comply by Mar. 4, 2024. Those who needed an extra hand could approach the town council for assistance."

The town council acknowledged P's case and said it had acceded to her request to keep two chairs and some potted plants on the condition that they were neatly kept in a row and not obstructing any passageway.

This accommodation was carried out in her presence, it added.

"The plants and trees that she had grown along the corridors were removed on Mar. 6, 2024, as cultivations in the soil are not allowed," the town council added in its statement.

"Unfortunately, we could not accede to the resident’s request to delay the removal until the fruits on the trees had ripened, as this could take months. We must also be fair to other residents who have complied and removed their items by the deadline.”

The statement also said the town council seeks residents’ cooperation to keep common areas such as the corridors and staircases from being obstructed for safety and cleanliness, or else, they pose as fire hazards.

Top photos courtesy of Madam P and James.