HDB resident shocked to find gondola lift parked on her balcony, contractor thought it was 'public property'

HDB resident shocked to find gondola lift parked on her balcony, contractor thought it was 'public property'
Zheng was shocked when she came home to find a gondola parked on her fourth-floor balcony.
PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News

Upgrading works in HDB flats can sometimes result in inconveniences for residents, be it the noise generated or the construction debris that accumulates in the area. 

One Chinatown resident, unfortunately, had to deal with something much worse.

Returning home last Friday (Nov 11), she was dumbfounded by the discovery of a gondola lift parked right smack on her fourth-floor balcony at Block 4 Sago Lane. 

The woman, surnamed Zheng, told Shin Min Daily News she got a shock when she returned home at about 9pm that night. 

"After taking a closer look, [I realised] it was a gondola. I immediately called a friend from the community club for help, and they told me there was a notice pasted outside the elevator on the first floor," recalled the 72-year-old retiree. 

Heading to the ground floor, Zheng found a notice from a contractor stating that they would be re-painting and cleaning the exterior of the flat.

However, the notice did not indicate that the contractors would be 'borrowing' her balcony for the exercise. 

"The balcony is part of my house. The contractor left the gondola there without asking for my permission, which can be considered trespassing," she protested.

"Even if they wanted to borrow my balcony, they should have asked for my permission."

One of the workers even told her, she claimed, that they would have to pay a fee if they park the gondola on the ground floor of that HDB block.

"So they left it on my balcony. Does that mean I need to let them use [my balcony] for free? The contractors are a [profit-earning entity], they shouldn't do this just to save money," she added.

"They only sent a worker here to coordinate [the logistics], it's very insincere." 

Responding to Shin Min's queries, the Jalan Besar Town Council said that the contractor had mistaken Zheng's balcony for public property, and thus parked the gondola there after finishing the day's work. 

The town council further explained that gondolas for repainting and repair works are usually parked on the ground floor. 

"The contractor later removed the gondola from Zheng's balcony, and we have given the contractor a warning," said the town council.

The town council has also apologised to Zheng for the misunderstanding, reported the Chinese daily.

The project manager from the construction company, surnamed Lao, has also conveyed her apologies to the resident. 

Zheng said that she has also separately received a notice stipulating that maintenance works will be carried out at her block from Nov 12 to 17.

And this time, the contractors will need to obtain her consent before parking the gondola on her balcony. 

Nearly hit by concrete 

In May this year, a man and his daughter were startled after a piece of concrete smashed through the canopy of the balcony in their Hougang home. 

The concrete nearly hit the nine-year-old girl who happened to be in the living room which was located next to the balcony, the man told Lianhe Zaobao then. 

"Fortunately, there was no one on the balcony at the time," the 43-year-old homeowner told the Chinese daily. "If it had hit anyone in the house or below us, it would've been dangerous." 

The Ang Mo Kio Town Council was called in to inspect the damage and arrangements were made to repair the affected area. 

ALSO READ: 'They're all gone now': Man's overgrown garden in Jurong HDB flat trimmed by town council

claudiatan@asiaone.com

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