SINGAPORE: An Indian content creator living in Singapore has received a lot of attention after her recent Instagram video, where she highlighted the fact that picking fruit that fell from public trees can come at a very high price.
“Mango / $5000 fine #Singapore #Indian currency 3.74 lakhs,” wrote Priyanka Sinha (@ppriyankasinha) in the caption of her May 9 post.
In it, she showed fallen mangoes on what appeared to be the grounds of an HDB block, as well as those that are still on a tree.
Her post seems to have puzzled other Instagram users, who asked about the reason why people would be fined for picking the fruit.
A couple of commenters wrote that “India is the best,” where the laws aren’t as strict as they are in Singapore. The post created quite a stir in India, where it was covered by a number of local media outlets.
Since it’s mango season in Singapore as well as other parts of Asia, including India, Ms Sinha’s warning is a timely one for those who may be unaware that under the city-state’s Parks and Trees Act, fruit growing on public land is considered government property. You can neither collect fruit that falls to the ground nor pluck fruits that are still on trees without permission from the National Parks Board (NParks). Otherwise, as she pointed out, people may face fines of up to S$5,000.
The law does not just apply to fruit, however, since even cutting the leaves of plants found on public ground is not permitted.
In January 2018, a worker from Bangladesh was seen taking leaves from a Syzygium myrtifolium tree, which is also known as the Kelat Oil or Red Lip tree. After pictures of a notice of offence that he had been issued were shared on social media, his employer appealed to NParks on his behalf, and his composition fine was reduced to a warning.
Other offenders have not been so lucky. An individual who took two Kopsia singapurensis saplings, which are critically endangered, was slapped with a S$3,000 fine.
In 2019, Lawrence Wong, who was then Minister of National Development, said in Parliament, “NParks manages most of the trees on state land. Members of the public who wish to pluck fruit from trees, or collect fruit that has dropped from trees on state land, should approach NParks for permission.” /TISG
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