Yishun walkway accident: MP Shanmugam meets with injured woman but says he is 'not happy' with repair works

Nee Soon GRC MP K. Shanmugam has said that he is "not happy" with repairs to the covered walkway along Yishun Street 22 after parts of it fell on a woman's head on Tuesday (March 1).

While acknowledging the quick response of the Nee Soon Town Council to the accident, Shanmugam, who is the Minister for Law and Home Affairs, said on Wednesday (March 2) that it is safer to remove the gypsum board that is used to cover the walkway, reported Shin Min Daily News.

"The way I look at [the walkway], it needs to be changed. I've told them to go and do some more work and finish it as soon as possible.

"I don't like the way the [gypsum] boards are… If we want to do cladding later on, it will cost money. So we will think about it carefully and let the residents know," Shanmugam added.

He also shared that he had visited the injured woman and her family to "make sure they are taken care of".

"It's an accident that was very unfortunate… it shouldn't have happened," he said.

The accident victim said that she is touched by all the messages of concern from friends and colleagues.

Describing the condition of her injury as "stable", the 52-year-old added: "I still get scared whenever I walk past that walkway. I hope the authorities can repair the walkway to prevent the accident from happening again."

chingshijie@asiaone.com