The panel talked about green hawker centres but not too sure if customers want to pay more for biodegradable plates, graciousness in hawker centres but I think hawker centres bring out the worst in many people like the chope seats with tissue packet mentality, about affordable nice food in hawker centres but we all know about Singaporeans' ai pee ai chee ai tua liap nee everything also want, but don't want to pay.
What I hope to hear is hawker centres making a big come back to the heartlands and beyond. Right now, there are 112 hawker centres in Singapore, managed by JTC, HDB and MEWR. Only 112, not 1,112. If they are indeed part of our culture and heritage, if they are needed to provide cheap food for the masses, and if they can give honest employment to those who want to strike out on their own, then one major recommendation for the renaissance of hawker centres is that more should be built. Furthermore to encourage more to enter the hawker profession, loosening the criteria for subsidised stalls (rental of max $320 / month) and not restricting it to the original relocated street hawkers of the 1970s, and phasing out the non-subsidised stalls and the tender scheme for hawkers are just as important. Let's wait for the panel's detailed recommendations.
Panel presents initial ideas for new hawker centres in Singapore
The way new hawker centre food stalls are run, priced and assigned could face major changes if recommendations put forward by a public consultation panel are adopted.
These changes, however, are aimed at ensuring that hawker centres continue to offer affordable food for Singaporeans.
Proposed changes unveiled by the 18-member panel at a press conference on Monday include lower than market-value rents, no subletting of stalls and joint-tenancies for stalls.
The preliminary proposal also recommends having a non-profit social enterprise operating the hawker centre with the Government providing guidance and financial support.
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