Re: $120K spent on exterminating 230 rats. Value for money?
[h=1]JURONG TOWN COUNCIL SPENT $120,000 OF TAXPAYER MONEY TO KILL 230 RATS[/h]
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Post date:
27 Dec 2014 - 11:22pm
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It was reported by the Chinese media here that the total cost of the pest control operations at Bukit Batok hill was over $120,000.
This was reportedly paid for by Jurong Town council after a video of dozens of rats scurrying around the hill in broad daylight went viral online.
This amount comes from the town council’s budget which in turn is paid for by taxpayer money given to town councils through government grants and also from the residents of the Jurong Town through S&CC fees.
When considering that currently about 230 rats have been caught and the pest busters claim that they have seen a drastic reduction in rat activity in the area, it means that the town council spent about $522 to kill each rat.
Do you think it should costs this much to kill a rat?
The issue here is that there are large costs involved with eradication of a large infestation such as the one at Bukit Batok. This is understandable, however, this huge cost can and should have been saved by preventative measures or early action.
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The original uploader of the viral video shared that the infestation was located at the hill just beside Bukit Batok MRT station. The video was also taken in broad daylight.
This is an area which is in plain sight of hundreds of commuters daily and one town council branch is located just a few blocks away from the infested hill.
Why was no action taken until the viral video was posted online?
Had earlier pest-control action been taken, the price tag would have been much cheaper and residents in the area would have been able to enjoy a pest-free estate much sooner.
It seems that the town council’s inaction has resulted in a huge price that the residents must pay on top of having had to put up with a major rat problem for many months prior.
Especially at a time when government agencies are picking on the opposition town council, it seems that their own problems should probably be worth more attention than ‘fixing’ the opposition.
What do you think?
