March – The Housing and Development Board announced a new scheme known as the Design, Build and Sell Scheme. This allows private developers to develop public housing. However, expensive prices caused complaints, leading to the scheme being discontinued in 2011. 16 March – The Sentosa Monorail ceases operation after being bogged down by maintenance issues and complaints. It has since been replaced by the upcoming Sentosa Express. 22 March – The Marina Barrage starts construction, with completion by 2007. The project will form the Marina Reservoir, helping in flood prevention in the city, as well as encourage activities around the reservoir. 23 March – SAFRA opens its new clubhouse in Mount Faber. 29 March – Plans to rejuvenate Orchard Road are announced, with new prime sites for development and short-term sites, a youth space, enhancements for pedestrians and collaborations with stakeholders. The Junction 8 Tower Office is handed over to National Council of Social Service from CapitaLand. This allows Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to use the facilities without having to pay rental; only the service and maintenance fees. April 3 April – The People's Association launches the PAssion Card. 4 April – The atm5 network is formed by five qualifying full banks to compete with local banks. 8 April – Asia Pacific Breweries opens a new bottling line, which allows for frequent changeovers while maintaining efficiency of beer production. 12 April – The Ministry of Education announced that the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will be autonomous universities similar to Singapore Management University (SMU) by mid 2006. SMU will be given more autonomy to run its operations. Plans to revamp Palawan Beach are unveiled as part of a makeover for Sentosa, which will be completed by July 2006. Costing $11 million, the revamp will have more recreational, food and beverage and retail shops, entertainment facilities. In addition, water play areas and an amphitheatre for animal and bird shows will be built. 14 April – Plans are announced to set up a new Police MRT Unit to enhance the security of Singapore's public transport, in addition to enhancing capabilities in investigating terrorism incidents and incidents involving chemical and biological agents. 15 April – The Media Development Authority issues a five-year licence to Rediffusion Singapore for a subscriber-only Digital Audio Broadcasting service, making it the world's first. 18 April – The government approves plans to legalise casino