Just a few days ago, NTUC Social Enterprises announced the official opening of NTUC Foodfare’s Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market.

Photo Credits: Tan Suee Chieh

Bukit Panjang is a place that is really really close to my heart. I might even consider myself the “Son of Bukit Panjang.”

I attended Zhenghua Primary School and stayed there for the best part of 2 decades. Although the town is just beside affluent Upper Bukit Timah, a quick check using the HDB Resale Statistics will demonstrate that this area is likely to be populated by low-middle income households.

As I had stayed in both Fajar and Senja, the places I had frequented included Fajar Shopping Centre and Bukit Panjang Plaza. But seriously, that’s about it. There were few food centres and when compared to more mature towns like Bedok or Jurong East, there was seriously a lack of affordable and reasonable ...