Temple loses TOP, devotees in a fix
Loss of fire permit in July leads to premises being made off limits
By Yen Feng
DEVOTEES of the Cheng Teck Sian See Buddhist Association have been shut out of their temple during the ongoing Seventh Month activities.
The temple recently lost its temporary occupation permit (TOP) and fire permit. Without these, its premises are off-limits and members who want to pray are being turned away.
Already, the temple's trustees, who were occupying offices on the ground floor, have moved out.
The century-old temple in Geylang is said to have about 2,000 followers and holds some 800 Chinese ancestral tablets.
On July 19, the temple's trustees mailed to more than 200 members a notice that said: 'Due to the revocation of the TOP, we regret to inform that we are unable to conduct the Seventh Month puja celebrations in the premises this year.'
Ancestral veneration during the lunar seventh month is a cherished Chinese tradition and some devotees have expressed their disappointment at what has happened.
Mr Alvin Yap, 50, whose father's ancestral tablet has been kept at the temple for more than 20 years, said: 'This is a helpless situation for all of us. I hope the people involved in this can get to the root of the matter soon.'
Construction of the temple's new home in Geylang Lorong 20 began in 2007, after its original home in Tiong Bahru was reclaimed by the Government several years earlier.
The new, seven-storey building received its TOP last August.
But a site check conducted by Building and Construction Authority (BCA) officers in March found something amiss: a fire escape staircase with headroom of 1.8m, shorter than the approved height of 2m.
Around the same time, checks by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) discovered several other irregularities, including absent fire doors, misplaced exit signs and missing smoke detectors.
In March, the SCDF downgraded the temple's fire safety certificate to a temporary fire permit and sent a letter to the temple's architects, WP Architects, saying it had until June 30 to regain the certificate.
A month later, the temple's TOP was partially suspended by the BCA - its third to seventh floors could no longer be used.
On July 9, the architects received a second letter from the SCDF that said that because the deadline for fire safety measures had not been met, the temporary permit was no longer valid.
This, in turn, led to another issue: Because the temple now did not have a fire permit, the BCA suspended the remainder of the temple's TOP for its first and second floors.
WP Architects says the matter is with its lawyers now and declined to comment further.
The temple's trustees and the parties involved in the temple's construction have locked horns a number of times over the last two years.
This year, the temple and its main contractor, Kenston Construction, went to court over the building's defects and outstanding payment issues.
In April, Kenston sued the temple and one of its trustees over comments made to the media about the temple's building safety issues.
The two parties, along with others involved in the matter, are seeking legal arbitration.
zengyan@sph.com.sg
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Timeline of events
2007: Construction begins on the temple's new home in Geylang Lorong 20.
August 2009: The seven-storey building gets its temporary occupation permit (TOP).
March 2010: BCA officers discover that the headroom for the fire escape staircase is 1.8m. The approved height is 2m.
Around the same time, checks by the SCDF uncover other irregularities, including absent fire doors, misplaced exit signs and missing smoke detectors.
The SCDF downgrades the temple's fire safety certificate to a temporary fire permit. It sends a letter to the temple's architects, WP Architects, saying it has until June 30 to reapply for the building's fire safety certificate.
April 2010: The temple's TOP is partially suspended by the BCA. The third to seventh floors are closed off.
July 2010: WP Architects receives a second letter from the SCDF that says that the temporary permit is no longer valid as the deadline has not been met.
As the temple does not have a fire permit, the BCA suspends the remainder of the temple's TOP for its first and second floors.
The TOP for the Cheng Teck Sian See Buddhist Association's building in Geylang, which was partially suspended by the BCA in April, was fully suspended last month. -- ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN NG
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