If you live in an HDB, you’d know that potted plants in corridors are a pretty common sight, but in this case, have you seen this much clutter in your life?
It’s almost like the neighbour is a participant in the American reality TV series, Hoarders.
And of course, with that much clutter taking up precious walking space, they are bound to cause someone to get injured someday.
Cluttered Corridor Made Child Smashed His Face on the Flower Pot When He Fell
48-year-old Mdm Deng (邓继萍) who lives in Block 202, Serangoon Central told the reporter from Shin Min Daily (新明日报) that he went out with his 2-year-old grandson and his son last Saturday.
While walking through the corridor in front of his neighbour’s unit, his grandson fell and hit his face on the flower pot on the side.
The boy hurt his left cheek, resulting in redness and a bruise.
The pain was so intense that he cried.
The neighbour happened to be at the scene and Mdm Deng asked him why his corridor is so cluttered, but he didn’t respond.
Little by Little, The Clutter Grew
Mdm Deng said that when she moved here 15 years ago, the neighbour had already placed some potted plants outside his home.
However, as time passed, the clutter grew.
He added the shoe cabinet and then the clothes rack.
As a result, the corridor space became narrower.
However, Mdm Deng didn’t say anything as she doesn’t want to cause an issue.
“Now that my grandson is hurt, I thought I should discuss this clutter issue with my neighbour, but as my emotions were still running high, I might have talked a bit more loudly than I wanted and my neighbour’s son actually yelled at me.”
In the end, the neighbour did promise to clean up the clutter, though Mdm Deng won’t believe it until she’s seen it.
She also took offence that the neighbour hasn’t apologized yet and instead, claimed that her grandson’s injuries were his own doing.
The next day, she approached her neighbour again about the clutter, and the man replied loudly, “These are my pots and my stuff, how to move?”
Mdm Deng was unhappy with his response and decided to lodge a complaint with the authorities.
Some of The Clutter Have Been Removed
Well, once the authorities are involved, I guess the neighbour could move his stuff after all.
The neighbour, 59-year-old Mohd Nor, said, “The authorities have approached me and reminded me to clean up some of the clutter. I’ve promised to do so.”
“I’ve already removed around 20 items from the corridor, including sporting goods, shoes, and some of the bigger objects, but I won’t remove the potted plants and the remaining items,” he added.
PSA: Do Not Obstruct Public Areas
The spokesman for the Marine Parade Town Council said that they are sorry that the boy was injured and that they hoped that he would recover soon.
They also send out a reminder to other residents that they shouldn’t obstruct public areas due to safety reasons.
Featured Image: Facebook (Shin Min Daily News 新明日报)