By ALVIN FOO

SINGAPORE Power will award sixcontracts to five constructioncompanies to build two cross-is-land tunnels 60m underground tohouse electricity cables.

The 35km network of tunnels,costing $2 billion, will replace andaugment the existing system, pro-viding a long-term solution to thecountry’s ongoing upgrading andrenewal of its power cable gridinfrastructure.

Singapore Power will start thework – its largest project – by theyear end and it will end in 2018.

The companies picked areNishimatsu-KTCCE Joint Ven-ture, Hyundai Engineering andConstruction, Obayashi Corp,Samsung C and T Corp and SK En-gineering and Construction. Theywere chosen based on their trackrecords and experience with tun-nel-boring machines.

An 18.5km-long north-southtunnel will run from Gambas toM a y R o a d w h i l e a 1 6 . 5 k meast-west tunnel will join AyerRajah and Paya Lebar.

The 60m-deep tunnels will bedeeper than the deepest MRT sta-tion – the upcoming Bencoolenstop on the Downtown Line whichlies 43m underground. They willbe about as wide as MRT tunnels,with a diameter of 6m.

They will be drilled undermajor roads and will not encroachinto any private property, said Sin-gapore Power.

There will also be 14 utilitybuildings to house ventilation

facilities and equipment and pro-vide tunnel access.

Singapore Power chief execu-tive Wong Kim Yin said yester-day: “The deep cable tunnels willform the backbone of Singapore’spower supply, serving future gen-

erations effectively, securely andwith minimum inconvenience.”

SP PowerGrid managing direc-tor Sim Kwong Mian told a brief-ing yesterday that Singapore’selectricity is provided by transmis-sion cables laid over 30 years ago

directly below its main roads.He added: “30 years on, we are

nearing the end of the usefullifespan of those cables.”

The new tunnels will also makeit easier and faster to maintainand replace cables, which will inturn reduce the frequency ofroad-digging works and minimisepublic inconvenience.

“This tunnel will last 120 years,our cables will last for 30 years,we can use this tunnel to housefour generations of cables,” saidthe project’s deputy managingdirector Michael Chin.

Singapore Power said it willtake various steps to minimisepublic inconvenience during con-struction, including installingnoise barriers at strategic spotsand siting construction activityaway from residential areas.

Other measures will restrictblasting to twice daily from 12pmto 3pm with advance warning viasirens. Traffic impact studies willalso be made before constructionbegins so as to avoid clashes withpeak hours.

alfoo@sph.com.sgYou can find out more about the projectat http://cabletunnel.singaporepower.com.sg from Oct 1

By KOR KIAN BENGCHINA CORRESPONDENT

BEIJING – In a surprise move,the sensational trial of formerChongqing police chief Wang Li-jun, who played a key role in thedownfall of his former boss BoXilai, kicked off yesterday – ear-lier than previously announced.

The Chengdu People’s Inter-mediate Court last week told var-ious media including The StraitsTimes that Wang would standtrial today on four charges.

He is accused of defecting toan American consulate, takingbribes, abuse of power, and“bending the law for selfishgains” in covering up a murdercommitted by Mr Bo’s wife GuKailai.

But Wang’s trial took placeyesterday from 8.30am till nooninstead, said his lawyer WangYuncai. She is not related to thedefendant. “The trial has twoparts, private and public,” shewas quoted as saying in Britishdaily The Telegraph yesterday.

“Today is the private partbecause it involves state secrets– it was about the two chargesof defection and bending thelaw for his own ends.”

However, a government offi-cial denied that the trial hadstarted and insisted that itwould do so today, even as aheavy security presence sur-rounded the court.

Beijing lawyer Hao Jinsongtold The Straits Times it wasunusual for court hearings to beheld earlier than planned.

“The move reflects thenon-transparency of this caseand will only raise the public’ssuspicions over the fairness ofthe trial.

“Even if the charges doinvolve state secrets and requirethe trial to take place behindclosed doors, the court shouldhave held it on the announced

date, instead of earlier.”Various Chinese news

reports last night said the trialwould continue and end today.

Observers believe Wang iscertain to be found guilty, giventhe nearly 100 per cent convic-tion rate in Chinese courts, butwill escape the death penalty, inthe light of his “cooperation”with the authorities.

Wang, 52, a flamboyant char-acter who served as Mr Bo’shenchman in Chongqing’s con-troversial anti-triad campaign,sparked China’s biggest politicalcrisis in decades in Februarywhen he fled to the Americanconsulate in Chengdu to seekpolitical asylum.

There, he allegedly ratted onhow Gu, 53, had killed Britishbusinessman Neil Heywood lastNovember over money disputes.Last month, Gu was convictedof murder and sentenced todeath with two years’ reprieve.

The scandal has rocked theChinese Communist Partyahead of a politically sensitiveleadership transition this yearand also toppled Mr Bo’s career.He had been a strong contenderfor a seat on the party’s apexPolitburo Standing Committee.

kianbeng@sph.com.sg

By KEZIA TOH

IT WAS not quite a happy Teach-ers’ Day this year for teacherswho missed out on an extra dayoff because the occasion fell dur-ing the September vacation.

But they can now rest assuredit will not happen again.

From next year, the date willbe moved to the last working dayof term 3, before the week-longSeptember term break starts.

Schools will organise their owncelebrations on the eve of thatday.

The Straits Times understandsthat some teachers were informedof the change by their principalsyesterday.

Teachers were told that theMinistry of Education (MOE)made the decision after taking infeedback and suggestions fromteachers and parents as well asthe public.

Teachers’ Day was traditional-ly celebrated on Sept 1.

But it was moved to the firstFriday of September last year.This scenario ideally gives teach-ers the Friday off, which leads in-to the weekend and the Septem-ber vacation.

This year, however, it fell onSept 7 – in the middle of theone-week school vacation.

This led to unhappiness amongsome teachers because they werenot given a day off in lieu, and

some felt that they were deprivedof a rest day which was ironicallyintended to celebrate their contri-butions.

This same problem will crop upagain in 2018, which is why theministry has decided to “resched-ule” Teachers’ Day.

In letters to The Straits Times’Forum Page, readers have calledfor Teachers’ Day to be moved tothe last day of term 3. They havealso called for flexibility and a dayoff in lieu for teachers.

Parent Gracia Tham, whowrote to this newspaper lastmonth, said: “I appreciate the ef-forts and sacrifices of our teach-ers in educating and nurturing ourchildren. Let us not rob our teach-

ers of their day of rest.”Another reader Kuan Kok Oon

added: “Having Teachers’ Day fallduring the September holidays isakin to a manager asking his work-ers to take their day off in lieu ona Sunday.”

But a spokesman for the minis-try had said then that no addition-al day off in lieu will be given, aswith other public holidays thatfall within the school holidays.

Teachers who spoke to TheStraits Times yesterday welcomedthe announcement.

“It really shows that the minis-try is listening to us teachers andtaking our feedback – even if theswitching of the dates can getquite confusing,” said a teacher of

nine years in a secondary schoolin western Singapore.

But perhaps it could have donemore, she added, such as givingthem a day off in lieu for the re-cent Teachers’ Day.

Added another teacher, whohas been teaching at a secondaryschool in the north for threeyears: “This change combines thebest of both worlds – having along weekend and getting a legiti-mate break that doesn’t fall dur-ing the school holiday.

“I’m happy that MOE was rela-tively quick in making thechange.”

There are more than 33,000teachers in service.

keziatoh@sph.com.sg

ST GRAPHICS

TUNNEL ROUTES

Gambas

Sembawang

Mandai(Permanent and

temporary shaft*)

Tagore

Ang Mo Kio

Ayer Rajah Holland(Permanent and temporary shaft*)

DunearnRangoon

Kallang

Airport Road (Temporary shaft*)

Paya Lebar

North Buona Vista

MarymountThomson PIE(Temporary shaft*)

May RoadInterface

Substation

Substation

Substation

built to facilitate theconstruction of the tunnelsand will be backfilledwhen the tunnels arecompleted.

LEGENDPower plantNorth-South tunnelEast-West tunnel

Source: Singapore Power

JurongIsland

Tuas

Senoko

Wang Lijun is expected to be foundguilty but is likely to escape thedeath penalty.

McLaren FormulaOne driverJenson Button (inblack) leadingnine othercyclists on athree-hour,92.2km ridearound the islandyesterdayafternoon.

The 2009world championis among the firstdrivers to arrivein town for thisweekend’s F1SingTelSingapore GrandPrix.

When askedlater which washarder – cyclingin Singapore orracing in F1 –Button quipped:“They’re bothpretty hard!”ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

The project’s deputy managing director Michael Chin (left) with a reporter in theHarbour Drive-Labrador tunnel, which is 30m underground and houses electricalcables currently in use to power Singapore. ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

LASTING USE

This tunnel will last120 years, our cableswill last for 30 years,we can use this tunnelto house fourgenerations of cables.– The tunnel project’s deputymanaging director Michael Chin

SPORT, B20

Singapore Powerto awardcontracts forproject to 5 firms

Teachers’Daymovedto avoidtermbreak

Surprise earlystart to trialof ex-police chief

Work to build tunnels forcables to begin by year end

TAKING THELEAD ON2 WHEELS

A2 TTOOPP OOFF TTHHEE NNEEWWSS T U E S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 2 T U E S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 2 TTOOPP OOFF TTHHEE NNEEWWSS A3