Kranji land ‘erroneous’ clearing: more supervision not always best solution, says Chan Chun Sing

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Singapore – Processes should be streamlined and not more layers of supervision added in public service, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing on Friday (Feb 26) in response to the erroneous clearing of a large patch of woodland in Kranji.

On Jan 13, state-owned industrial property developer JTC Corporation discovered that its contractor had cleared a forested area at Kranji erroneously.

The news sparked a backlash among the public, with many calling for action against those responsible.

JTC’s contractor, Huationg Global Limited, had since been issued a stop-work order and is assisting in investigations into the incident. The National Parks Board (NParks) also confirmed it was investigating the unauthorised clearance.

According to the Parks and Trees Act, it is illegal to fell a tree with a girth exceeding one metre growing on any vacant land, whether within or outside a tree conservation area, without NParks’ approval.

The former deputy CEO of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Yao Chee Liew, said JTC should bear much of the responsibility for the mistake.

Mr Yao noted that there should not be a shifting of the responsibility to the contractor as it was JTC’s task to hire professionals to stay on-site while the project is in progress to ensure standards are met along the way.

According to a todayonline.com report, JTC is investigating the incident, while NParks is looking into possible statutory breaches and a cross-agency review underway led by Permanent Secretary of Defence Development Mr Joseph Leong.

In response to questions on the incident from several Members of Parliament on Friday, Mr Chan used his military experience to note that when accidents happen in the army, the common conclusion was usually that more supervision was needed.

“Now I have grown up learning that that may not necessarily be the best solution,” said Mr Chan. “Because when more parties get involved, ultimately, who is responsible? If a soldier did not do his job well, we ask whether there were factors that affected his concentration, whether his training was adequate or whether there were other complicating factors.”

“At the end of the day, we want a streamlined process whereby there are clear lines of responsibilities for each of the parties involved in any complex project,” added Mr Chan.

It is the role of Mr Leong, who is also the Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information, to strengthen the processes in public service.

“We should be careful that in trying to improve the processes and streamline them, we do not unnecessarily add on (more) that might either diffuse the responsibility or make project coordination even more difficult going forward,” said Mr Chan.

Meanwhile, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee highlighted that his ministry is working on more safeguards to improve the environmental impact assessment (EIA) framework in Singapore, which would be done in a “science-based manner.”/TISG

陈振星说，克兰芝土地“错误”清算：更多的监督并非总是最好的解决方案

新加坡–贸易和工业部长Chan Chun Sing周五（2月26日）对错误清除了Kranji的一大片林地表示，应该简化流程，不要在公共服务中增加更多的监管。

1月13日，国有工业产权开发商JTC Corporation发现其承包商错误地清理了Kranji的一片森林地区。

这一消息在公众中引起了强烈反响，许多人呼吁对责任者采取行动。

此后，JTC的承包商Huationg Global Limited被下达了停工令，并正在协助调查此事。国家公园管理局（NParks）也确认正在调查未经授权的许可。

根据《公园和树木法案》，未经NParks批准，在任何空地上（无论树木保护区内外），砍伐生长周长超过一米的树木都是违法的。

住房和发展委员会（HDB）的前副首席执行官姚志立（Yao Chee Liew）说，JTC应该为这一错误承担很多责任。

姚先生指出，不应将责任转移给承包商，因为在项目进行过程中，JTC的任务是聘请专业人员留在现场，以确保在整个过程中达到标准。

根据todayonline.com的报告，JTC正在调查此事，而NParks正在调查可能的法定违规行为，并由国防发展局常任秘书长梁启超（Joseph Leong）领导的跨机构审查正在进行中。

在回答周五数位国会议员对这一事件的提问时，陈先生利用他的军事经验指出，当军队中发生事故时，通常的结论通常是需要更多的监督。

陈先生说：“现在我已经长大了，学习不一定是最好的解决方案。” “因为当更多的参与者参与进来时，最终由谁来负责？如果士兵做得不好，我们会问是否有影响他注意力的因素，他的训练是否适当，或者是否还有其他复杂因素。”

陈先生补充说：“归根结底，我们希望简化流程，使参与任何复杂项目的各方都有明确的责任分工。”