Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, the foreman of the construction site where the sinkhole appeared, told reporters that there was a lot of gratitude to him and his workers, with people thanking them for their actions.
Speaking to the media through a translator, the workers said they were proud to have received the SCDF award and hope to stay in Singapore until the end of their working lives.
They were earlier awarded an appreciation coin from the Manpower Ministry for their rescue effort.
Witnessing the SCDF award ceremony on Wednesday, Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming thanked the workers for putting themselves in the line of risk to step forward and help the driver “instead of running away from the danger”.
“The whole nation has seen what you did that day. We are all very grateful for your bravery. Singapore is better because you have played a part in helping to support and build the Singapore, very good parts of it, we have today,” he added.
Mr Goh, who is also the Member of Parliament representing the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights ward where the sinkhole incident occurred, also commended the workers for their hard work in repairing the sinkhole and reinstating the affected sections of the road that reopened in stages from last Saturday.
The sinkhole appeared along Tanjong Katong Road South on Jul 26, causing a car to fall in. It was adjacent to a PUB worksite that involved the construction of a 16m-deep shaft.
