Tuesday 8 May 2012

Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre goes online

By Melissa Pang, The Straits Times, 7 May 2012

ONE of Singapore's best kept food secrets now has an online presence.

Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre is the first food centre in Singapore to have its own website.

The website - www.bmvmakan.sg - was launched by grassroots adviser Indranee Rajah, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, yesterday at the official opening of the newly upgraded Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre and Market.

It contains information on the history of the hawker centre, descriptions of food stalls and their operating hours, and a gallery of pictures.

The idea for such a website arose because of concern over the impact of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) in the area, said Ms Indranee.

In 2007 and 2009, three blocks in Henderson Road and five blocks in Bukit Merah View were selected for Sers.

With so many residents moving out, there was worry over an adverse impact on the hawkers' livelihood. 'Many Singaporeans are foodies, and they like exploring and trying out new food places. The idea behind this website is to provide the hawkers with online visibility and give their business a boost,' she said.

Ms Indranee added she is looking at creating websites for other food centres in her constituency, if they are needed.

Pilates instructor Cheong Seok Wah, who lives in Redhill, said the website was a novel idea.

'Everything is going online these days, so why not hawker centres? It's a good way of reaching out to those who don't frequent this area,' said the 41-year-old.

For Ms Michelle Woo, who lives near the food centre, the website is not just a useful resource for looking up information on operating hours.

'I can also learn about the history of the different stalls, and about the new stalls that have opened,' said the 34-year-old finance manager.


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