After a three-month renovation, People’s Park Food Centre reopened on 1 July to welcome patrons back to its premises.
However, hawkers are now struggling with a debilitating issue that recently emerged.
They have reported that the exhaust hoods in their stalls have malfunctioned, resulting in thick smoke and rising heat.
In response, management said technicians would rectify the situation in the upcoming days.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the exhaust hoods at over 10 hawker stalls in the centre have been malfunctioning since its 1 July reopening.
As no repairs have been done yet, this has led to the air being filled with smoke.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The malfunction has also affected the operations of more than half of the stalls.
During his interview, one hawker, Mr Jiang, tested the heat of his eatery with a thermometer. It had a high temperature reading, which he showed to Shin Min Daily News.
Another stall employee, Mr Ye, reported the same, with his cutlery growing hot as well. Installing four fans did not help, as staff perspired heavily during the cooking process.
“I think it’s over 40 degrees inside,” he said. “We have to come out every half hour to breathe.”
Mr Huang, a hawker at the centre, also told Shin Min Daily News that the heat caused him to suffer a rash.
An employee revealed that he had to close his stall halfway through the first day of operation due to the faulty exhaust hood.
Despite remaining closed for two days, the issue could not be fixed. As a result, the staff had to bear with the heat and work around the malfunction.
“The boss wants to do business, and our employees also want to make money to live,” he explained.
We have to endure the high temperature and thick smoke to fry things and take turns to come out to breathe.
Unfortunately, diners have not been exempted from the situation either.
Ms Ji, previously a frequent customer, said this was the first time she had dined in the centre after the renovation.
She could not withstand the heat either, preferring to move to an area with air conditioning.
Another diner, Ms He, said she had never felt such an atmosphere at the centre before the renovation.
As such, it was unexpected and made the experience of dining in stuffy and uncomfortable.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the People’s Park Traders Association chairman, Chia Sai Im, said she had received three to four reports on the matter from hawkers.
She added that the renovation was a big project and cleaning out the ventilation was a significantly complex process.
While they have wiped down the main fume extraction system, individual stalls still need cleaning.
However, some hawkers were overseas while the renovation was ongoing, making it difficult for authorities to enter the premises.
Part of the ventilation system may have suffered a blockage as a result, thus leading to the current situation, Chia said.
She noted that she has arranged for technicians to repair it, believing it will be done in the next few days.
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Featured image adapted from MS News and Shin Min Daily News.
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